Lack of consultation angers residents
The news that councillors had approved the plans comes after days of anger from residents about the proposed impact of the changes.
Furious locals let rip on social media about the prospect of waiting a month for their grey and blue bins to be emptied, while community councils and other residents’ groups expressed a range of concerns ranging from a lack of detail and ineffective consultation.
Marion MacAllister, chairwoman of Cambusbarron Community Council, says the group will be making a formal complaint to the council after being left in the dark over the proposals.
She told the Observer: “To make this sort of change at this time without any form of consultation is just breathtakingly inept.
“The Scottish Government look at community engagement as important, but we, like all community councils, weren’t informed about this and it seems to be getting pushed through without any form of consultation.”
The community council issued a statement outlining various concerns including the risk of increased flytipping levels, a potential fall in recycling rates overall and a lack of detail over the proposed nappy pickup service.
The statement adds: “It appears to this community that the authors have concentrated on technical cost savings in connection with changing the current type of wheelie bin and paid little attention to the consequences to the public and the environment of the changes.
“Many residents report that their bins are full when presented for uplift at present and have huge concerns regarding the proposed changes.
“We believe that these proposals have been made with no consultation in a very undemocratic manner and this must be put on hold until such consultation has taken place.
“Full details must be made public on savings but also the extra expenditure of the changes to services.”
The call for greater information and consultation was echoed by Isabella Gorska, a trustee at the Stirling Area Access Panel group.
Ms Gorska has also written to councillors outlining her fears that elderly and vulnerable people locally could bear the brunt of the changes due to their inability to access recycling facilities.
She said: “The council’s own equality impact assessment shows up that this change will have a big impact on older people, disabled individuals and those living on low incomes.
“A big flaw in this proposal is also in the lack of credence given to fly-tipping and the costs of that.
“These plans will make recycling less accessible to vulnerable groups in society and if the equality impact assessment says this will have an impact on these groups, then we should be seeing some action and not just saying we’ve done the assessment and forget about it.
“It does seem a big failure of the system that this has not gone out to public consultation.”