RESIDENTS have reacted angrily to a revelation that Hyndburn Council DOES NOT recycle business waste - despite forcing them to separate their household rubbish.

Earlier this year, householders across Hyndburn were issued with bins for their ordinary rubbish and blue recycling boxes for items such as plastic bottles and newspapers.

Since then people have been forced to take part in the council's recycling scheme - or face fines under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act.

But residents have slammed the scheme as "hypocritical" after it was revealed waste from shops and businesses across Hyndburn is not currently recycled.

Instead, much of the rubbish produced on commercial premises is sent to landfill sites.

One resident, Gary Martin, of West View, Oswaldtwistle, said: "I was really shocked when I heard about this and even carried out my own little survey in Accrington town centre. Out of the 10 shops I asked, none of them recycled.

"When you think they are putting microchips into wheelie bins, it just seems really hypocritical. Either they are a green council or they are not."

The subject has also been a hot topic of debate on a local website.

On it, one resident said: "Hyndburn Council puts microchips in our wheelie bins, yet does not recycle any business waste produced in the borough.

"Householders are being threatened with fines if they don't sort out and then recycle their waste. This is fair enough, but surely all the businesses in Hyndburn produce a relatively large amount of rubbish which could be recycled.

"I presume that the combined waste from all the businesses in Hyndburn amounts to quite a lot, compared to that of household waste.

"I wonder if all the rubbish from the various council offices and Accrington Town Hall, which must include an awful lot of paper, is recycled or dumped in landfill sites, along with all the other glass, cardboard, paper, tins and plastic that is produced by all the other businesses in Hyndburn."

Council leader Peter Britcliffe admitted: "Trade waste generally at the moment is not recycled as we have not got the facilities to do it."

He said: "This is a ridiculous situation and we are currently lobbying to get our trade waste recycled.

"We are no different in this respect from other councils.

"What we need is for the Government to provide us with the resources that we need to get our trade waste recycled.

"Recycling may save the Earth, but it also costs the Earth, and we need extra resources to deal with our trade waste."