NO CHANGES are planned to plastic recycling in Dorset, despite a number of councils across the country turning to burning the material due to difficulties in finding a buyer.

The price councils receive for recycled plastic has fallen in the last year, mostly due to a Chinese ban on imports.

Poole council pays £100 per tonne of general ‘black bin’ waste compared to £10 per tonne for the borough’s recyclable waste.

Cllr John Rampton said: “We have no plans to stop recycling mixed plastics and we have not sent any recyclable waste to the Far East for at least three years.

“Our contract with Viridor means this the case and that we are in a better situation than other councils which have been forced to take these actions.

“We hit our 50 per cent recycling target a year early and we intend to do a lot more to improve this further.

“The key message to get across though is that we all need to do more in terms of shopping choices to reduce the overall amount of waste we produce.”

Martin Tett, LGA environment spokesman, said: "It's clear that the ban by China on imported waste, which could soon be implemented from other countries, could have a marked impact on councils' ability to recycle.

"It's essential that the Government provide support to help councils offset the loss of income they face as a result of the ban and encourage manufacturers to use more recyclable materials."

He added: "The rising costs caused by this ban risk combining with ongoing and severe council funding pressures to affect other essential local services.

"Councils want manufacturers to play their part in the battle against unnecessary and unrecyclable waste.

"We are keen to get around the table with them to reduce the amount of material entering the environment which can't be recycled.

"With the markets to sell unrecyclable material shrinking, it is essential that this is tackled as soon as possible."