Recycling service to stop due to low uptake

Over the past four years, fewer than 4% of households made use of the service

Coffee pods, textiles and small electrical items will no longer be collected by a West Sussex council from the end of November.

Chichester District Council (CDC) has been carrying out a four-year trial service covering three-quarters of the homes in the district to test the benefits of collecting the items.

But with the amount collected making only a "marginal" difference to the recycling rate, and PodBack – a coffee pod recycling service – announcing the end of its annual funding for the scheme, councillors decided to scrap the programme.

Over the past four years, fewer than 4% of households made use of the service, with only 79 tonnes of materials being collected.

This contributed 0.05% to the council's overall recycling rate, at a cost of £58,300 per year, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mark Chilton, cabinet member for finance, corporate services & Chichester Contract Services, said: "Cutting to the chase, we're spending a lot of money for very little benefit and the take-up rate has been pretty poor."

Mr Chilton added that work would be carried out to make residents aware of other ways to reuse and recycle such items.

The collection service will end on 30 November.