Disappointed byrecycling charge

Anne Berry and husband Keith moved to Bexhill after downsizing from their previous home in Lincolnshire. Anne said they came across Bexhill purely by chance and decide it was the place for them and they knew they would be happy.

The removal costs, including 86 large cardboard packing boxes, cost £3,400. Once unpacked Anne rang Rother District Council (RDC) for advice on recycling the boxes and was astounded by their response. She said: “They told me to break them down and put them in our recycling wheelie bin. Apart from the fact that these boxes - some of which are 5’ by 4’ - are very stout and cannot be ripped up with a knife or scissors, it doesn’t need a mathematicians to tell me how many months/years it would take to dispose of them in a wheelie bin!”

Anne said she had hoped RDC would be able to arrange a recycling truck to make a one off visit to collect the boxes but was told she’d either have to take them to the recycling point in her car or pay for collection - at a cost of £20 for three boxes this would total £560. Anne said: “How many would I be able to get in a car - even if I could fit them through the door? It’s like the theatre of the absurd. This is my welcome from RDC. I’m very disappointed with the lack of help offered.”

A RDC spokesman said: “While we sympathise with Mrs Berry’s situation, the collection of large moving boxes is not a service Rother District Council provides as the vast majority of removal companies will collect boxes from residents. There are a number of options residents have for recycling cardboard, including the fortnightly kerbside collection, the county council run household waste and recycling sites and our bulky waste collection, for which we charge a fee.”