Anger as fly-tipping and abuse forces closure of Dudley recycling points

The bins allow residents to drop off any extra recycling including glass, textiles, cardboard, paper, card, plastic, cans and cartons.

But bosses have decided to remove them because they are being abused and people are fly-tipping around them.

Getting rid of the 12 banks will save the cash-strapped council £45,000.

Opposition councillor Patrick Harley has slammed the decision and blamed the council for not emptying the bins enough.

He said: "If the council emptied the bins more frequently they wouldn't be full. The council needs to empty them more because it's obviously they're overused.

"If people are dumping their stuff at the side of the bins it's because they can't get it in the recycle containers.

"Obviously the service is a really popular measure and it shouldn't be taken away because it'll result in even more fly-tipping in the countryside."

The bins were rolled out across the borough around 15 years ago and proved successful.

However, a council document states that the system is 'not cost effective' and recorded tonnage from the sites during the first six months of 2016/17 was little more than 365 ton, equalling just four per cent of the overall dry recycling collected by the council.

Councillor Hilary Bills, cabinet member for environmental services, said previous recycling points had been removed due to fly tipping.

She said: "Everyone has recycling now through the kerbside bags so we're finding the bins are being abused more by businesses and people, some people were even coming from outside the borough to drop things off.

"When the recycling bank is full people are fly-tipping around them so we had to give it a rethink.

"Everyone has recycling from their homes now and the system has been abused."

There are recycling sites on Flood Street and Stafford Street in Dudley, Castle Street in Coseley, Wordsley Green in Wordsley, Manor Park and Morrison's on Stallings Lane in Kingswinford, Birmingham Street in Halesowen, Toys Lane in Colley Gate, Church Street in Stourbridge, Asda on Pearson Street in Brierley Hill, the BP petrol station in Upper Gornal and Mary Stevens Park in Stourbridge. The recycling point on Stafford Street has been closed with immediate effect. The others will close from June 1.