PLANS to scrap all of the district’s local recycling centres to save money have concerned green-minded residents.

Epping Forest District Council has said it will decommission all 26 of the centres- large containers provided in communal areas to recycle glass, cans and paper.

Council leader Di Collins said the centres were rarely used and the saving of £10,000 per year was more important.

She told The Guardian: “They’re hardly used when we come to empty them and it’s a waste of time and effort really. I don’t think it will have an impact on recycling but it will save a bit of money.”

Praising the council’s record on recycling she added: “We are collecting such a lot in the district and we are about to start collecting food waste and garden waste from September.”

Some residents in the district have attacked the decommissioning as sending out the wrong signal on recycling.

Lorraine Collier, of St John’s Road, Epping, said: “It’s very concerning. We should be encouraging recycling and making it as easy as possible. In terms of saving money £10,000 is a very small amount.

“I’ve been doing it for years before it became fashionable. I’m a big fan. Recycling should be made as easy as possible.”

Leslie Jerman, of Coppice Row, Theydon Bois, said: “I don’t know how much they are used but I would prefer they keep them . Recycling is vitally important, and even if they don’t collect them often we can still use them. We all need to recycle more.”

The district’s 20 larger recycling centres, such as those found at supermarkets and town centres, will remain.

Mrs Collins said that the money saved would go towards plans to provide a kerbside collection for textiles, although she suggested it would be some time before that happened.