The waste problem won't just go away

Nearly all of it used to all go to landfill sites, a classic example being the one at Sheepcote Valley in Brighton, where the stench often carried for half a mile.

But most landfill sites in Sussex are full and the Government is discouraging their use by imposing punitive taxes on them.

Because there are no sites near most of the big towns, waste for landfill often has to be carried for long distances.

Yet it often seems the people of Sussex will obstruct any effort by the authorities to stop using landfill.

Cleaner Modern methods of incineration are infinitely cleaner and more effective than old ones like those used at the old plant in Leighton Road, Hove, which used to belch toxic black smoke into the air for much of the day.

But there was an enormous fuss when the new incineration plant was proposed for a site in the industrial town of Newhaven.

Great efforts are made by councils to promote recycling and in some areas such as Wealden the public reaction has been encouraging.

Yet in the biggest conurbation, Brighton and Hove, recycling rates remain disappointingly low.

Some areas of the city are better than others with recycling rates high in Fiveways where a lot of residents work in the public sector and have a high awareness of recycling.

But what happened in this neighbourhood, where many people are proud to say they are green, when recycling was proposed at nearby Hollingdean depot? They opposed it.

There was a similar story some years ago when recycling was suggested at Hangleton Bottom in Hove even though the site was well away from people’s homes and near a major road junction.

Over in Polegate there are objections to plans by the Hailsham-based firm Haulaway for a recycling operation.

The family-run business has outgrown its depot and needs more storage space so that it can recycle materials such as concrete, wood, plastic, glass, plasterboard and cardboard.

It has applied to use an old concrete yard at Coldthorn Lane, Polegate, just off the A22 and not far from its headquarters.

Lorries serving the site will need to pass just one property from the main road. All the recycling material is inert and does not smell.

Yet from the tone and number of objections, you would have thought Haulaway was proposing a latter-day Sheepcote Valley.

Spokesman Colin Holloway said: “As a family-run business we feel responsible for increasing recycling levels.

Government policies “We are governed by local authority and government policies to do everything we can to prevent waste going to landfill, thus saving disposal and landfill tax that is increasing every year.”

He said using Coldthorn Lane would lead to recycling waste rather than disposing of it to landfill.

Mr Holloway added: “As the yard is only 1.8 miles from our main depot it helps us to keep our carbon footprint to a minimum, something which is very important to our company.

“We were shocked and disappointed at the level of opposition received from local authorities, as well as the public, considering this is a brownfield site with extant planning permission that will be put to good use to increase recycling.

“We feel it is a shame that preconceptions and assumptions are made before the facts and benefits of an application are considered.”

Recycling is often an industrial process which involves moving and transforming large quantities of waste. It is not a peaceful rural activity.

But it has got to be carried out more and more in our county if we are not to be overwhelmed by mountains of refuse.

There are some people in Polegate who will be inconvenienced if Haulaway's planning permission is granted.

But there are few if any other sites available in the neighbourhood and none with as few disadvantages.

There are also many measures that can be taken, such as restricting the hours of operation, that can be imposed on any approval Sussex has to show it is serious about waste disposal and recycling. Objecting to every proposal or pretending there isn’t a problem is wrong.