Council forced to scrap novel recycle scheme

A recycling scheme which aimed to rid the streets of a Mid Wales town of rubbish backfired when people began turning up in their droves with sackloads of bottles and cans.

Welshpool Town Council set up the novel scheme and offered people 5p for each empty can or bottle they picked up off the street and took along to the town hall.

It followed complaints about litter in and around Welshpool.

The council had hoped that the occasional discarded bottle or can would be dropped into the town hall in return for the 5p.

But instead mountains of them began to arrive as soon as the scheme was introduced in July.

Now councillors have been forced to abandon the project.

Town clerk Robert Robinson said: "Some people were taking in all those they would normally put out for the kerbside recycling scheme."

In just eight weeks in July and August, no less than 1,000 bottles and cans were taken to the town hall.

"We have now had to discontinue the scheme because it was not being used as we hoped it would," he said.