The man in charge of rubbish and recycling has responded to calls for his resignation.

Cllr Neil Bell (Con) has faced criticism after the council took the decision to stop composting garden waste and send it to the waste-to-energy incinerator in Allington, near Maidstone, instead.

Richard Boden, who runs recycling project WyeCycle, was angered and called for Cllr Bell to resign.

Call for councillor to resign in green waste row >>>

Cllr Bell has defended the decision made on financial grounds as Ashford Borough Council attempts to save £300,000.

Mr Boden criticised the “lack of economic and environmental rationale” but Cllr Bell has responded saying residents’ rubbish is being put to “very good use”.

He said: “The waste is going less distance to Allington than it would have been going to the composting plant at Hawkhurst.

“So in environmental terms I think it is better to take it to Allington than Hawkhurst.

“Certainly using it to fuel Allington’s waste-to-energy plant to turn into electricity is putting it to very good use.”

He also responded to WyeCycle’s criticism that the council has failed to learn from them as they are of the country’s most successful recycling projects.

Cllr Bell said: “The prime reason I haven’t visited is that I haven’t been invited.”

Cllr Bell has, however, visited the Allington plant.

He said: “I spent a day going round that. It’s very wrong to portray it as an incinerator, it’s much more than that. Residents should be encouraged that our residual waste, including the green waste, is used to produce electricity and, in fact, there’s a number of recycling procedures which take place at Allington as well.

He also feels during a recession it is wrong to start charging residents for green waste collection, WyeCycle’s preferred option.

He said: “Now is not the right time to be charging our residents.”