(Image: Freelancer)
A NORTH Yorkshire councillor has said residents are 'shocked and angry' that mini recycling centres across Ryedale are to close.
North Yorkshire Council has approved plans to remove the remaining mini recycling centres in the former Ryedale district.
The council is to carry out a phased removal of recycling banks which includes facilities in Helmsley, Kirby, Malton, Norton, Pickering and Ampleforth.
However, Cllr Lindsay Burr who represents Malton and is also a town councillor for Norton, said that she was very concerned to hear about closure of the sites.
She said: " I have been talking to residents both in Malton and Norton to get their opinions, and residents are shocked and horrified, that yet more services or sites are changing or closing.
One resident who at the time of me explaining about these plans was actually using the site replied, 'absolutely not'."
Malton and Norton have sites in Wentworth Street car park, Morrisons car park and St Nicholas Street car park.
Cllr Burr added: "Malton and Norton is a growing community, and if we are to have any changes to recycling, I would prefer more recycling centres, not less.
A while ago homes were issued with large home recycling bins, to encourage us all to become better at recycling, which I agree with.
"However, the majority of people have told me that while they are generally happy with their new bins, they do still use mini centres as well to help with overflows of recycling from their homes.£
Council officers say the introduction of improved household recycling collections has significantly reduced demand for the facilities.
Figures show the amount of recyclable material collected at the sites fell by 37 per cent, from 156.1 tonnes in 2024/25 to 98.8 tonnes in 2025/26.
The largest reduction was recorded at the two Malton sites, where collections fell by 47 per cent.
The council has acknowledged that it does not know how many households use the mini recycling centres because the sites are unmanned.
However, it says a public survey in the former Ryedale area found that only 5.8 per cent of respondents used local recycling banks to dispose of materials that would not fit in their household bins.