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Mountains of recyclables to be dumped at Army bases
Benedict Moore-Bridger6 Nov 2008
THOUSANDS of tons of rubbish may have to be stored in former military bases as the economic crisis makes recyclable materials worthless.
Councils and collection companies are struggling to shift mountains of paper, plastic bottles and steel cans.
Local authorities are so worried about running out of space they are asking the Environment Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to relax storage regulations.
It is believed new guidelines expected to be published next week will allow waste to be stored in secure warehouses or abandoned military bases.
Steve Eminton, of letsrecycle.com, said: "Warehouses around Britain could start to be filled with waste paper, metal, and plastic bottles. There's nowhere for these materials to go at the moment."
Plastics, paper and steel hit record prices in the summer, but demand has fallen from countries such as China because of reductions in manufacturing. The situation could be made worse by Christmas and a surge in recycling.
Staff at Waste Resources Action Programme and the Local Government Association are investigating the extent of the problem.
Steve Creed, of Wrap, said: "We think the low prices are likely to be temporary. Recovered materials have undergone price volatility in the past."
Reader views (3)
I thought that we were recycling in order to save the planet, not because it is economically sound to do so?
- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster, 07/11/2008 02:38
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So as all of knew already, the cost of recycling this stuff is more than buying new.
- Adam, Harrow, UK, 06/11/2008 14:47
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Lets hope that manufacturers help out by reducing the amount and types of packaging used for products.
- Terry, maidstone, 06/11/2008 12:07
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