Harder-wearing bags may stop greedy gulls Council considers peck-proof bags to stop nuisance birds
Hard-wearing bin bags could be the solution to a nuisance bird problem in Perth, city traders have been told.
Seagulls, other birds and vermin have been tearing into the bins as they scavenge for food, leaving waste strewn across pavements.
The problems have been apparent in previous years, but with traders keen to promote a positive image, the issue has come to a head.
At a meeting in the Civic Hall on Thursday last week, Perth city centre manager Leigh Brown told Perth Traders’ Association peckproof bags to store waste in could be part of the solution.
But there are issues about making the bags available to city centre residents.
Ms Brown told representatives of the city’s firms that Perth and Kinross Council is considering using more sturdy sacks on a trial basis in a bid to stop burst bags becoming a permanent blight on the city’s streets.
She explained that council has identified a serious “problem” with the aftermath of seagulls ripping open bin bags, with George Street among the worst affected.
Bags are to be put out for collection at 7.30am, but many flats and shops have admitted to putting bags out the night before.
The seagull-proof bags have been tried and tested in many seaside towns across the UK, and at approximately £4 each, they could be a cost-effective solution – although storage, odours and potential leaks were raised.
Other options have been all but ruled out, such as large communal bins – which have become used as skips elsewhere in the city – earlier collections and a controversial cull.
Funding from Zero Waste Scotland is available for businesses to buy the bags in which to store their blue coloured sacks, but it has been noted that much of the mess is coming from pink domestic bags.
After the meeting, Conservative Perth City Centre Councillor Chris Ahern is keen to see action.
He said: “I’ve had a lot of people complaining to me about the mess and the problem is that there is nowhere to keep bins. In regards to the bags, if they’re going to help the situation, I’d like to see it.”
His hope is echoed by SNP Councillor Andrew Parrott, who said: “Seagulls are a fact of life, and very much one of nature’s success stories. I welcome the idea of the seagull bags, which have been tried in the North East, and I’d really like to give them a go.”
Permission to trial the bags is set to be sought in the near future.
I’ve had a lot of people complaining to me
A domestic bin sack with its waste strewn