Council blames Covid for litter and dog waste overflowing from bins

Council bosses have blamed the Covid-19 pandemic after bins in Perth city centre were seen to be overflowing with litter and dog waste in the hot weather.

Lib Dem councillor Peter Barrett has called for urgent action to clean up city centre parks and nature walks after an influx of people spending more time outdoors in the sunshine.

Bosses at Perth and Kinross Council admitted they were having problems clearing out bins due to staffing issues in the pandemic and said the problem was likely to persist for “the foreseeable future”.

Councillor Barrett went to check on the situation himself after receiving complaints from residents who could not get in touch with the local authority.

“My constituents started calling me this weekend after trying to report the problem to the council numerous times without getting any response,” said Councillor Barrett.

“The bins at the riverside turning head and inside the Norie Miller Walk were jam-packed.

“It is clear that they hadn’t been emptied for a long time.

“The surrounding areas were strewn with rubbish and dog mess bags.

“Urgent action is needed to empty the bins and clear the areas which should never have been allowed to get like this.”

Councillor Barrett also received concerns and complaints about the litter bins at the North and South Inch public parks.

He said: “Given the great weather we have had last week and over the weekend there have been large numbers of families out at both the North Inch and South Inch playparks.

“The bins need to be emptied to ensure that these areas are safe for children and families to use.

“However, I would ask everyone to please think about what to do with their litter.

“If the bin is full then take your rubbish to the next empty bin or take it home.

“Don’t leave it lying around where it can be attacked by gulls or dogs or present a hazard to children.”

Perth and Kinross Council said they had started to clear up the bins and flytipping on Monday.

A spokeswoman for the local authority said: “Covid-19 continues to impact Perth and Kinross Council’s operations team including the grounds maintenance staff who carry out tasks such as emptying litter bins in parks across Perth and Kinross.

“These staff are supporting essential council services which means that we currently cannot meet the high standards of previous years, and this is likely to continue into the foreseeable future according to the latest Scottish and UK Government announcements.

“Meanwhile, with the recent good weather leading to more people using our parks and greenspaces, there has been an increase in the use of litter bins and some are, unfortunately, overflowing before our crews can service them.

“To help our key workers in operations, we ask householders to be patient and that if a litter bin is full, please hold onto your litter or dog waste bag until you reach the next empty bin, or take it home.

“Also, we ask householders not to dump unwanted items beside litter bins or next to containers at recycling points as it causes problems and time delays for our already-stretched staff.”

Anyone wishing to report an overflowing litter bin should visit Perth & Kinross Council – Litter (pkc.gov.uk)

LOAD OF RUBBISH: One of the overflowing bins in Perth city centre which have not been cleared by the council, leading to a call for urgent action.

Bins badly need emptying.