Users have complained to Derbyshire Dales District Council in the past about the state of the Artist's Corner car park in Matlock Bath when banks for cans, bottles, plastics and newspapers have been quickly over-filled.

But Mercury readers say the problems are ongoing, and are also a feature of the new facilities at Sainsbury's in Matlock.

Matlock Green resident Jeremy Wray said: "I am constantly dismayed and frustrated by the state of the recycling centres.

"On each occasion the collection containers are either nearly full, or are full and spilling over the area around them, creating an unhygienic eyesore and making the trip a thoroughly unpleasant experience.

"We constantly hear from Government and local authorities of the need to recycle, so why is the council not making sure that these facilities are properly managed?

"We should be making every effort to encourage all local people to recycle, rather than putting them off at the first visit."

A spokesperson for Derbyshire Dales District Council said: "Extra bottle and paper banks have been added at the Sainsbury's recycling site and an extra can bank will be added soon to cope with the demand. The two plastics containers are currently being emptied twice each week.

"The use of the site has exceeded the district council's expectations and is a relatively new site. We will continue to monitor the demand to ensure that there are sufficient banks to cope with the amount of material being recycled.

"At Artist's Corner the plastics container is emptied weekly and other banks are emptied every two weeks. The number of banks is monitored to ensure it is sufficient for demand."

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