The removal of recycling facilities in Dover came as a surprise to a man who spends much of his spare time recycling aluminium cans which he finds on the town’s streets.

Alan Sencicle, who lives at Danes Court, said the Mercury Comment in last week’s edition was “most appropriate”.

“As someone who has been active in maximising my own recycling efforts, it came as a complete surprise to discover that they will now be curtailed,” he said.

“Over the past 12 years I estimate I have collected more than 120,000 cans on Dover’s streets. A massive amount of electricity is consumed to smelt each tonne of aluminium. Only 5% of this electricity is needed to produce recycled aluminium.

“So what should I do now?

“I have no intention of bringing home material for recycling, nor do I intend to use standard litter bins unless I could be convinced that full sorting and recycling can be guaranteed.

“Street cleaning in Dover is inadequate due to the fact that a large proportion of litter is not discarded into areas where the contractor is charged with clearing. Examples are litter pushed into hedges, behind cable television and BT cabinets and in very visible and accessible areas on private property.

“Before removing centralised recycling facilities, it might have been sensible to have provided improved litter bins in the town. Many areas of the UK now have bins with three or more sections internally so that glass and aluminium for recycling can be segregated from general litter.”

Mr Sencicle took the photo (above) of such a facility in Shoreham, Sussex in 2011.

“In addition to general litter there are recycling slots for glass, plastic, cans and paper,” he said.

The district council said the bins were removed “following the great success of the kerbside collection service”. The tonnage collected from public sites had dropped to the point where it was no longer viable.