A DETERMINED resident who built a £100,000 extension to escape the noise from a council recycling centre is calling for it to be removed now it is hardly used.

Mark Holmes, 45, of St James Courtyard, Claremont Gardens in Marlow took the drastic action five years ago after being routinely woken up early in the morning to the sound of smashing glass.

Mr Holmes’ house backs on to the Wycombe District Council recycling bins in Liston Road car park, which he says is rarely used since home recycling collections were introduced last year.

And though the switch means a better night’s sleep for those within earshot, he believes the centre should now be removed to make way for much-needed extra parking spaces.

He said: "It is nice and quiet now and there is no problem with noise, but it seems like a waste of parking spaces and everyone keeps moaning about needing more parking in Marlow.

"Many years ago they were emptying the recycling bins in the car park at five in the morning but with the introduction of home recycling we no longer get much noise.

"They still come round to empty the bins and of course we all get our stuff taken away by the council from home now.

"It all works very well now and they have had a big job on their hands, and a part from a few hiccups to begin with they have done a good job.

"But it seems if everyone in the area has their recycling taken care of, the only thing it could be used for is commercial waste, and businesses are supposed to pay for that."

Wycombe District Council insists that although amounts recycled at public centres have decreased, some are still needed until the roll out is extended to blocks of flats.

But spokesman Sue Robinson confirmed members are looking at the possibility of shutting some of the less used public recycling spots.

She said: "We’ve seen a significant reduction in the amount of glass coming through our recycling centres since we introduced our blue bin collection service.

"We are planning to review the number of recycling centres we have in the district later this year, to establish which recycling centres need to be kept. Our review will look at sites of strategic importance.

"We will run a public awareness campaign should it be decided a local recycling centre is to be removed from service.

Noise-blighted residents living close to Liston Road car park also campaigned against Waitrose’s plan to build a trolley park near the border to their homes.

Previously given permission to be a basket-only store, Mr Holmes and his neighbours were angry that the introduction of noisy trolleys would compound their misery.

But in a victory for the campaigners, the store moved the trolley bays to the opposite side of the car park to minimise the noise pollution.