Changes to free food waste bags

Access to distribution points for free food waste bags is to be improved for Fife residents over the coming months.

Three rolls of bags, which go in residents’ brown food waste caddy, used to be delivered to every household until the service fell victim to budget cuts.

It was replaced with a system where people could go and collect the bags themselves from 11 recycling centres, 24 community centres, five customer service centres and 12 community use schools.

However, council officials have reviewed the arrangements and believe the distribution points are unevenly spread across Fife, with some communities significantly better served than others.

Cowdenbeath, Levenmouth and north-east Fife have 10 different collection points, while south-west Fife only has four.

With that in mind, councillors in each area will soon be given the final say on where they think the bags should be stocked.

Most of the collection points are expected to be in Fife Council-owned, public facing buildings, which will be staffed by Fife Council employees.

However, Councillor Ross Vettraino, convenor of the environment, protective services and community services committee, said area committees can decide on whatever locations they see fit, which could include non-council buildings.