Fife Council urged to abandon recycling site booking system

WASTE: Process branded ‘cumbersome’ amid low demand at sites

Fife Council has been urged to abandon a “cumbersome” booking system for its recycling centres after a “deplorable” level of uptake in some areas.

More than half of available slots at the nine reopened sites were left unallocated in the two weeks from June 24 due to lack of demand, with fewer than a third of the spaces booked at Pittenweem and Lochgelly.

East Neuk communities now claim they are being punished for the low uptake as Fife Resource Solutions (FRS), which runs the centres, plans to cut opening hours at Pittenweem to three days a week to allow the Cupar centre to open on the other two.

Independent councillor Linda Holt said: “The question is why FRS hasn’t been better at managing its staff resources instead of making the public pay the price.”

The council said the complaints were ill-informed and that the booking system had proven invaluable to ensure social distancing at the centres.

The process is almost as cumbersome as catching a plane as you have to keep to a 10-minute slot, print out your booking and bring specific ID with you. INDEPENDENT COUNCILLOR LINDA HOLT

Environment spokesman SNP councillor Ross Vettraino said: “Those members of the public to whom I have spoken about it have expressed the hope that it will be a permanent feature.”

But Ms Holt, backed by two community councils, called for a more flexible approach. “People without online access cannot use a recycling site,” she said.

“The process is almost as cumbersome as catching a plane as you have to keep to a 10-minute slot, print out your booking and bring specific ID with you.

“It is disappointing that the only response to this deplorable level of uptake is for FRS to partially close one facility in order to partially reopen an additional one.”

Andy Peddie, of Kilrenny, Anstruther and Cellardyke Community Council, said the partial closure of Pittenweem had been decided without consultation.

Margaret Wardlaw, chairwoman of Pittenweem Community Council, said the community felt strongly that the system should be dropped.

Mr Vettraino said as well as ensuring social distancing, bookings allowed the council to look at data and decide the best use of staffing. He said using the same staff to service two centres was a good example of the flexible approach being asked for and that the level of demand at Pittenweem could easily be accommodated over three days.