A bottle bank in Reading has become a flytipping hotspot as heaps of rubbish can be seen there on a regular basis.

Illegally dumped waste can regularly be seen at the bottle bank in Erleigh Road, East Reading, with bad cases of fly-tipping seen last month.

The bottle bank has been hit with dumping again recently, with mounds of waste seen there today (Monday, August 1).

Items dumped at the bottle bank include a kitchen bin, cans and cardboard boxes -which can easily be recycled- and an acoustic guitar. 

READ MORE: Awful cases of overstuffed bins and flytipping in East Reading

The dumping has taken place despite a note urging people not to leave any waste on the floor.

It follows dumping of black bin bags, a bedding sheet and a childs buggy at this location on Sunday, July 17, which was swiftly cleaned up.

 

Recently, a Reading Borough Council spokesperson explained its strategy for tackling fly-tipping, which includes investigating cases of illegal dumping for prosecution, cleaning up the waste after the fact, and using CCTV as a deterrent for would be tippers.

However, the spokesperson explained that using CCTV is more effective at fly-tipping sites where the offenders use vehicles to dump their waste.

On the issue of flytipping in Erleigh Road, the spokesperson said: “The fly-tipping at these bottle banks increases during the summer months when there is an increased number of residents vacating properties and clearing out properties related to the University, although we are working closely in partnership with the university to improve this situation at each changeover.

“We have found that the majority of waste that is deposited at this site is bagged household waste and is deposited by individuals on foot.

“Where the waste consists of bagged household waste, officers are more likely to be able to identify where the waste has come from investigating the waste in person as they have to physically open the bags and so the team continue to attend this site regularly.

“We will continue to investigate fly-tipping across the borough and where possible, will take enforcement action. If any local residents witness any fly-tipping activity we would encourage them to report the incident so action may be taken.”

Fly-tipping can be reported by calling the council on 0118 937 3787 using its webiste, or the Love Clean Reading app.

Earlier this year, the council launched a free bulky waste collection service, which allows people to get up to three heavy items such as bedding, sofas and cookers removed for free every six months.

The service was launched in part to discourage fly-tipping.

Opposition councillors from the Conservative Party and the Green Party have called for kerbside glass recycling to be introduced in Reading.

The council administration has said it is waiting for secondary legislation attached to the Environment Act 2021 to be released before a kerbside recycling service can be implemented.