Bottle banks in short supply as Fiveways' facility removed

Bottle banks in short supply as Fiveways’ facility removed

The bottle banks have been removed at Fiveways – and these bins will soon be removed too

By:

David Bridle, Editor

Glass recycling facilities in Brightlingsea have been drastically reduced after the bottle banks at the Fiveways Co-op store in Samson’s Road were removed.

Tendring District Council has removed the bottle banks, and will shortly remove the textile and other bins, on instruction of the site’s owner – believed to be the the Co-op. Sainsbury’s takes over the lease of the shop on the site from the end of the 2024.

The move means the town has been left with just two glass recycling points – at the YMCA car park and Oyster Tank Road. Two additional bottle bins are to be added at the YMCA site – though the paper and textile bins there will have to be removed to accommodate them.

However, residents near the YMCA bins – who already suffer from the noise of bottles being dropped and rubbish blowing into gardens – are worried that the situation will only get worse now that the site is the town’s main recycling point.

“We would request that the council conducts a proper analysis of the requirements for the town and finds suitable locations for recycling that do not affect those of us who live here and have to put up with the downsides of having recycling bins nearby,” said one.

Within hours of the removal of the Fiveways bins, the bins at the YMCA were quickly filled to overflowing – with bags of bottles left on the ground. Brightlingsea Town Council says that TDC has pledged to collect the bins more quickly when they are reported as being full. TDC also has plans to start glass collections from homes – but not until 2026.

Illustrating Bottle banks in short supply as Fiveways' facility removed on Brightlingsea Info — Rubbish left around the YMCA bins

Adrian Smith, TDC’s cabinet member for environment, said: “We are disappointed that the recycling site at Samson Road will need to be removed following instruction by the owner of the private site, and we are actively engaging with the new landowner to explore future opportunities at this location.”

Paper and textiles can be still be recyled in bins at Brightlingsea Community Centre, where there’s also a bin for food and drink cartons. Residents can also recycle textiles at the kerbside using dedicated blue bags, with collections on the same day as the red recycling boxes.