North Lanarkshire Council is to pilot a scheme aimed at reducing the number of overloaded bins being put out for collection.
The council’s waste solutions service is facing financial pressure - currently around £780,000 - due to increasing number of households and growing costs across the waste industry.
Overloaded residential bins - those with lids at almost a 90 degree angle - need to have bags removed before they can safely be emptied. Bags being left on the street results in complaints to the council and if placed back in the bin the council also receives complaints saying the bin has been missed.
Overloaded bins are also a sign that the household is not doing enough to separate recyclable waste. Therefore, the council expects that by encouraging good recycling practices more waste will be recycled and cost of providing waste collection services will be lower.
Under the new pilot scheme, overloaded bins will be emptied but a warning tag will be fitted and a letter sent out to the household with further information and contact details. If the bin is again presented as overloaded it will not be uplifted and tagged again.
The pilot scheme will be operated in two specific areas - which are yet to be named - over a three month period. Once any alterations are made as a result of the pilot programme this practice will be rolled out across North Lanarkshire.
The council also agreed to change the arrangements for bins being provided in new build housing, and will now proceed to charge developers for bins to be delivered,with this cost factored into planning consent for new developments.
These proposals are expected to deliver a saving of around £90,000 per year.
The proposals were approved by the council’s Environment and Transportation Committee when it met on Wednesday, February 13, with the Labour and SNP groups both supporting the plans.
An amendment from the Conservative group, tabled by Councillors David Cullen and Nathan Wilson, called for a further report to be produced but this was defeated by 17 votes to three.
After the meeting the SNP group’s environmental spokesman and committee member William Goldie commented: “We are all aware of the issues with overloaded bins within the authority.
“We welcome the introduction of a pilot by NLC which will work with those who face issues with using the recycling service.”
He added: “Any positive action to reduce the prevalence of overloaded bins must be welcomed.”
