Ivybridge Recycling Centre in Devon was evacuated yesterday (20 January) after a tank shell was found in a non-recyclable waste container.
Devon County Council says the person who brought the container to the site left before staff could speak to them.
As a precaution, the facility was evacuated and closed for around an hour while the police removed the tank shell. No one was injured, and the site has now fully reopened.
The Council says recycling centres across Devon have previously had to close following the discovery of suspicious or potentially dangerous items, such as unexploded ordnance, marine flares, old ammunition, and unknown chemicals.
Commenting on the incident, Councillor Jacqi Hodgson, Cabinet Member responsible for waste services, said: “Once again, we’ve had to close a centre because someone has tried to dispose of something that looked suspicious.”
“These avoidable closures waste the valuable time of emergency services, our staff, and cause inconvenience to the public.”
“This is particularly frustrating given that only last week the discovery of World War Two munitions in Exmouth and Plymouth caused evacuations. Given this, why would you think it is okay to put a tank shell in a skip and walk away?”