Could Warwick District Council's decision to remove recycling banks actually increase the fly-tipping it is intending to stop? That is the question being asked by some Kenilworth residents this week.

At the beginning of 2021 WDC announced that all recycling banks in the district were to be removed as a result of fly-tipping and vandalism making the operating costs too high.

At the time Warwick District's Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Services, Councillor Moira-Ann Grainger said: "The recycling banks account for less than 1% of the total waste recycled in the district, we therefore feel that this is a sensible and pragmatic decision.

"Only council tax rated residential properties are eligible for kerbside waste and recycling collections, it is therefore a better use of resources to invest in this service rather than carrying the increasing costs of maintaining facilities which are often subject to abuse."

However, residents have raised concerns that the removal of recycling banks in the district, such as at Castle Farm, will actually lead to an increase in fly-tipping in the area.

One resident we spoke to said: "surely removing recycling banks is just going to increase fly-tipping?

"People aren't going to just use the recycling centre because you have to book there.

"The council is surely now going to spend more money on tackling fly-tipping than it did on maintaining the banks."

WDC-operated recycling banks were set to be removed on February 22.

An example of the need for such facilities was demonstrated at the recycling bank in Sainsbury's carpark in the centre of Kenilworth over last weekend.

The attached images show the extent of the problem on Monday (March 8), with all the containers overflowing and surrounded by waste.

The next image shows the area being cleared on Tuesday (March 9) and the last on Wednesday (March 10), emphasising perhaps how needed these facilities actually are.

All the images can be seen by scrolling across the gallery at the top of the page.

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