Plastic pause in recycling journey

A national park depot is doing a strong line in talking rubbish - and helping farmers get rid of their plastic into the bargain.

In the wake of new legislation which bans agricultural waste plastic being burned or buried on farms, the Lake District National Park Authority storage base at Troutbeck, near Keswick, is acting as a temporary staging post for a range of used bags, drums and feed buckets.

Local farmers are able to deposit plastic refuse in special weather-proof bins and leave them at specified times at Troutbeck for the same day collection by Solway Recycling. The next scheduled day is Thursday 25 October.

LDNPA ranger Val Edmondson explained the wet summer had meant even more grass than usual was being stored in plastic.

She said: "Hay making has been virtually impossible this year and we are talking about many hundreds of tonnes of plastic being used to preserve crops for winter feed. Now farmers can't get rid of it on their land, it's important to help them recycle.

"Troutbeck depot is a perfect location for Solway Recycling - set up by a Dumfries farmer as a diversification scheme - to collect the waste. Farmers from the Penrith, Keswick and Ullswater areas can easily access the site."

Solway Recycling produces a range of eco-friendly products, including wheelchair ramps, litter bins and park benches. For further information on the Troutbeck collection call the company on 07809 507519.