PLASTIC and cardboard that could be recycled is being thrown into household waste because a recycling centre has partially closed its services.

Everleigh Recycling Centre in Pewsey closed some of its services in October after concerns over drainage provision at the site was highlighted. At the moment cardboard, plastic, chemical, oil paints, batteries and tyres cannot be recycled at the centre, which is run by FCC Environment on behalf of Wiltshire Council.

Instead these items are thrown in with household waste, or residents must drive further afield to Marlborough or Devizes recycling depots.

Residents are being put off the centre because they cannot use every station and it is feared that dropping visitor numbers could lead to Wiltshire Council closing the site down.

Pewsey Parish Council and the Wiltshire branch of Campaign to Protect Rural England believes that keeping it open is beneficial for long-term recycling plans and say if it is fully open, people will return.

Charmian Spickernell of CPRE Wiltshire said: “At the

moment people bringing carefully sorted plastic and cardboard are being directed to put it into household waste.

“This is just not right. In the long run it is cheaper to recycle and keep already running centres open. We don’t want short-term things to stop the long-term benefits of the recycling centre.”

Following the Pewsey Area Board meeting on Monday Wiltshire Council agreed to set up a working group with residents to discuss the future of the recycling centre.

Curly Haskell, chairman of Pewsey Parish Council, said: “We were disappointed that our questions weren’t answered after such a long time but we look forward to working with a smaller committee.”

A Wiltshire Council spokesperson said: “When FCC Environment took over the running of our household recycling centres in October last year they were concerned that the site at Everleigh hadn’t been operated fully in accordance with current environmental legislation.

"This meant the number of materials collected at the site was reduced from the beginning of October 2017 while further detailed surveys are being carried out and estimates prepared for the costs of addressing any issues identified.

"Once these estimates are complete, we will decide on the next steps.

“We apologise for any inconvenience this is causing. In the meantime the materials concerned can be recycled at home (cardboard and plastic bottles) or taken to an alternative household recycling centre in Marlborough, Devizes or Amesbury.”

FCC Environment did not respond to a request for a comment.