West Lothian Council has acknowledged that cutting the hours of the county’s recycling centres has caused problems for people.
Head of operations Jim Jack told a meeting of the Environment Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel (PDSP) that surveys had highlighted the fact there were issues about the revised hours.
He was speaking after councillor Diane Calder had questioned the cobbling together of performance figures regarding bin up lifts and the recycling centres.
She told the meeting: “ I would suggest that these cobbled together figures, if we separated them we’get a true reflection.”
She added: “People don’t have problems with the bin collections. The troops go out and uplift the bins and go back for missed bins. It’s excellent, and people are well up for recycling.
“The big problem is with the CRCs. There have been numerous complaints to me and, I’m guessing, other members from people who want to recycle but can’t.”
Mr Jack said the figures could be broken down for presentation to committee. He said initial survey response rates had been low but that targeted surveys had produced results.
He said: “The figures show that people do rate the CRCs highly, and the conduct of staff. It does show there were issues about accessibility.”
Opening times were cut last year to manage budget restraints. The council opted for a cut in opening hours in order to maintain the five sites.
Councillor Calder had also questioned an assertion by waste managers that the increase in fly tipping reported was mainly down to commercial operators.
Mr Jack said the evidence was in the the size of the loads being dumped.
“We class the increase based on volume of load. The volume is significantly higher than is capable of being transported in a car boot. It is more likely to come from a small to a large van.
“That’s where we are seeing the most significant increase at the moment,” he added.
