Solution to bin pick-up problems now ‘critical’

Council chiefs in Fife are being urged to find a “critical” solution to missed bin collections after thousands more were left unemptied.

About 4,000 households in the Dunfermline area went without their bins being emptied last week.

The contents of about 2,000 grey bins for recycling paper were uncollected in the Halbeath and Duloch areas, while a further 2,000 brown bins for garden and kitchen waste went unemptied in Pitcorthie.

It comes after The Courier revealed earlier this month that more than 51,000 bin collections have been missed so far in 2022.

The council has previously blamed staff absences for the issues.

James Calder, a councillor for the Dunfermline area, fears the council’s target of reducing landfill waste to just 5% by 2025 could be missed.

Lib Dem member Mr Calder said: “Fife Council has ambitious targets in increasing recycling, but we are not going to reach that if people can’t recycle.

“Last week thousands of residents in Dunfermline were unable to recycle paper waste in the Halbeath and Duloch areas or compostable waste in Pitcorthie.

“This is a real problem and at the moment there seems to be no attempt at a short-term solution to make sure people don’t have to wait double the time for their recycling to be picked up.

“Simply promising more vehicles months down the line won’t cut it for residents right now.”

Fellow Dunfermline Lib Dem councillor Aude Boubaker-Calder said: “It is unacceptable to ask people to wait eight weeks for grey and green bins and four weeks for brown bins in the summer to be collected.

“Many will be completely full after their normal cycle. A solution to this problem is now becoming critical.”

Council service manager Sandy Anderson says the authority is battling issues including staff shortages and difficulties sourcing equipment to repair lorries, while new vehicles have also been delayed due to supply issues.

He said: “Alongside issues of staff absences and vehicle breakdowns, there is a national shortage of HGV drivers which is making it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain staff.

“This is affecting industries across the country and unfortunately there is no quick fix for the problem.

“In the short term, we are working with our recruitment team to help fast-track people into waste collector roles, which should help ease some pressures on the service and we are asking staff to work overtime.

“I’d thank everyone for their patience and understanding while we work hard to keep the service running as best we can, and we would encourage Fifers to keep recycling, making use of local recycling centres if necessary.”

Labour councillor Jan Wincott, spokesperson for environment and climate change, said: “While we are in these challenging times... I would encourage everyone to continue recycling their waste by making sure boxes, cans and plastic bottles are all squashed flat to maximise the capacity of their bins.”

Councillor James Calder.