'Waste away' a 75 year old Audlem man is told

When an environmentally responsible 75 year old from Audlem felt it was better to take his garden and household waste the 6 miles to Whitchurch's re-cycling centre rather than the 12 miles to Pyms Lane in Crewe, he was in for a big surprise. Because he had crossed the Cheshire/Shropshire county boundary, he was told at Whitchurch, after being asked where he came from, to take his waste back to Cheshire and drive to Pyms Lane in Crewe.

It may be Global Warming everyone is worried about, but when it comes to re-cycling, the solution, it appears, is far from global! Better to double your journey's distance than use your nearest re-cycling centre.

You are still allowed to shop in Whitchurch, it is understood, even if you cross that border! Whether packaging waste from Tesco in Whitchurch should be recycled in Shropshire or Cheshire is a tricky question that could test bureaucratic minds for many an hour. Perhaps the safest solution is to separate packaging waste from the different counties and return it from whence it originated, whatever the mileage and resulting carbon dioxide emissions. The joys of living where the Shires meet.

Seriously, couldn't a more grown up solution be found. Surely it's every county's responsibility to recycle in the most convenient way possible, even if that means the occasional border crossing.

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