Dumped waste row

Concerns were raised this week after residents saw their recycling dumped in the back of a bin lorry.

The Observer received reports from Braehead and Dunblane that recycling laid out separately by households had been put in the same truck.

However Stirling Council has stated that the waste is being recycled.

The authority has been forced to hire two bin lorries to pick up recycling waste after several of the flat-bed trucks they usually use broke down.

Its ageing fleet of bin lorries is due to be replaced later this year.

Suspicious residents raised concerns with Stirling Council after seeing separated recycling items being dumped together in the back of the same truck.

Doubts about whether waste was being properly recycled emerged after people observed waste being collected in Braehead last week and in Dunblane on Monday

However, yesterday (Tuesday) the council confirmed they had been forced to hire two bin lorries to pick up recycling waste after several of the flat-bed trucks they usually use broke down.

The authority’s ageing fleet of bin lorries is set to be replaced later this year as part of a refuse collection shake-up in which bins for waste and recyclables are to be changed.

Dunblane Community Council chairman Terence O’Byrne saw a small bin lorry being used in Dunblane to pick up the recycle waste from the boxes.

He said: “The council confirmed that they have hired the lorry to collect recycle waste due to a shortage of the existing kerbside collection lorries which are breaking down. I was assured that the waste was being sent to a processing plant for full recycling. Can I ask that the council tell residents what they are doing and assure them that the waste is being recycled. Residents still have no firm information on the new waste collection system, rumours abound. When is the council going to tell us what they actually intend doing?”

A Stirling Council spokeswoman said: “Due to operational difficulties with some of our fleet vehicles which are currently being addressed, our teams are utilising back-up vehicles to collect waste and recycling from Stirling properties.

“One is a small pick-up which collects glass and food, and the other is a refuse collection vehicle which collects recyclables.

“While these recyclables are collected together, they are then separated and processed by staff when they arrive at our depot at Lower Polmaise, so no recycling waste is being sent to landfill.”

Earlier this month, we reported that collections around the area were being delayed because of several vehicles had broken down.

Community groups have hit out over a lack of conusltation over the new system which the council insist was included in this year’s Priority Budget Proposals.

Green councillor for Dunblane and Bridge of Allan Mark Ruskell said it was important that concerns raised about the new system were answered.

He said: “This underlines the fact that councillors should have had the opportunity to scrutinise the full plan for the waste services re-design ahead of the budget decision being made.

“There are still many unanswered questions and a lack of detailed information coming to elected representatives and the public.”

Still many unanswered questions and a lack of detailed information . . . Cllr Mark Ruskell