Mid Devon Community Recycling cuts back trade arm

The Exeter-based not-for-profit organisation has written to the affect companies, which compile the majority of the 800 businesses it currently collects recyclable material from, to explain that it will be ceasing the service as of tomorrow (August 28).

Mid Devon Community Recycling (MDCR) launched recycling collections for business throughout Devon in 2007 following a successful trial. Under the scheme, MDCR collected materials ranging from food and drinks cans and glass bottles and jars to fluorescent tubes and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).

The letter sent to businesses this week states: “Regrettably, we have to announce the closure of our recycling service for businesses which is now unsustainable due to the economic situation. We would like to apologise for the inconvenience this may cause, and thank you very much for your past custom.”

“We shall not be delivering any rolls of tape or bags in future, and there will be no further collections of materials after Friday August 28,” it continues.

Business

Speaking to letsrecycle.com, Paul Tulley, training manager at MDCR, said: “We have not closed all trade collections just the non-contracted customers and we have kept on around 75 to 80.”

“The reason why it is no longer sustainable is because the quantities are dropping and the main price for the materials we sell is also dropping and that has been going on since we entered the recession a year ago. The cut off point has been reached and it is no longer sustainable,” he added.

MDCR currently provides a fortnightly kerbside recycling collection service to 32,000 households across Mid Devon under a seven-year contract awarded to the organisation by the district council in 2006. This will not be affected by the changes to the business collections.

A spokeswoman for Mid Devon district council told letsrecycle.com: “We are confident it will not affect the residential collections. We do not have the capacity to take over MDCR's business collections. We would be able to pick it but we wouldn't be able to recycle it and it would just go to landfill.”