Bin collection plan slammed by panel

THE KINTYRE Crime Prevention Panel has trashed the council’s decision to reduce bin collections, labelling it ‘irresponsible’ and claiming it will pose a ‘serious health hazard’.

At a meeting on Wednesday July 20, representatives of the group from Southend, Laggan, Carradale and Campbeltown convened at Campbeltown Community Fire Station to discuss the council’s decision to reduce green refuse bin collections from once every week to once every three weeks.

Irresponsible

A spokesperson for the group said: ‘We consider the council’s cutback highly irresponsible as there appears to be no phased in approach, with an additional lack of consideration to those people living in flats and tenements where a build up of waste would be a serious health and fire hazard.

‘It is hard to understand that if the council’s analysis shows that approximately 40 per cent of what people are putting in their general waste bin can be recycled, then why the sudden change from weekly to three weekly?

‘Under its own analysis, a 40 per cent reduction on a weekly cycle would mean bin collections every 14 days, not 21.’

The group also considers the issue of waste food to be of huge significance, with no plans emerging from the council to deal with tackling food recycling in Kintyre.

The group spokesperson continued: ‘With all the bureaucracy regarding food hygiene, why has the council not introduced a food waste collection in tandem with this decision?

‘It is good practice and law to prosecute irresponsible public food outlets for failure to provide proper food hygiene arrangements, but it appears to be acceptable for the council to let people in rural areas fester under a mound of their own food waste effluence and endure the vermin and litter associated with this.

‘Just think of the seagull problem, never mind rats, foxes, flies, infection and smells. The council says it is trying to increase tourism but this flies in the face of that.’

Argyll and Bute MP Brendan O’Hara told the Courier that for health and safety reasons it is essential household rubbish and food waste cannot be left in communal areas for three weeks.

He said: ‘If the council wants to move to a collection every 21 days, then surely the introduction of a food waste collection programme to minimise the likelihood of attracting vermin is essential.’

A spokesperson for the council responded: ‘We sought public health advice from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) when we were thinking about a three-weekly model.

‘It advised us and other councils that there should not be any increased risk to public health as long as the existing common sense standards are followed: wrapping waste and keeping the lid of your bin firmly closed.

No plans

‘There are no plans to introduce food recycling in Campbeltown at present and there is no definitive implementation date for the three-weekly service yet.’

Councillor Donald Kelly, who runs a pest control firm, added: ‘I do not support the idea of a three-weekly collection, especially when it has not even been trialled or properly thoughtout.

‘It is ridiculous that there has been no dialogue with elected members over these proposals.’