Bin collection changes

Bin collections across the area are to change as council bosses attempt to tackle a mounting pile of rubbish.

Argyll and Bute Council has announced two-weekly bin collections will take place with recyclables and general waste picked up together.

The council said the system had been ‘simplified’ and would give each household ‘more collections’ to help get rid of rubbish piling up during the lockdown.

Recycling materials will end up in general waste unless people have room to store it for collection at a later date, the council said.

Staff from other authority departments, such as roads and grounds workers, could be drafted in to help on rounds.

The new arrangements will ‘protect staff’ and follow social distancing guidelines, the council said.

The same approach had been taken by other local authorities across Scotland because of the pandemic.

Councils have faced a major headache with bin collections because wagons require a team of staff which means social distancing rules cannot be safely observed.

In some areas, staff have driven behind lorries to observe the policy and unions have called for better solutions to help protect front line workers.

Robin Currie, policy lead for housing, roads and infrastructure services at Argyll and Bute Council, said the authority had listened to public concerns.

The council, he said, was ‘working tirelessly’ to protect the community against coronavirus. He said: ‘Our front line workers are going to extraordinary lengths to deliver services by changing the way we work to make best use of the resources we have. This model is deliverable, although this may in time need staff to be used from wider teams, such as roads and grounds staff. This means we will only be making emergency road repairs in very serious situations.’

The statement added: ‘Please be assured Argyll and Bute Council takes its environmental responsibilities seriously and you can help.

‘If you have the option to store recycling until we can resume this service, we would be grateful.’

The council has outlined some tips for storing recycling safely:

■ Wash plastic bottles, especially milk bottles and trays

■ Squash plastic bottles and replace the lid

■ Stack trays the same size inside each other to save space

■ Flatten cardboard boxes and paper

■ If you can, crush your cans

■ Rinse and flatten Tetrapaks such as juice cartons

For those with room, once your bin is full, please start storing the recycling in plastic bags or inside large cardboard boxes in a dry place.

‘Buying and preparing only what you need can help cut down the amount of food thrown away,’ said the council.