Aberdeen City Council should consider scrapping its “city only” rule at recycling centres, says a north-east MSP.
Since Covid-19, the local authority has limited the use of the city’s four household waste and recycling centres (HWRC) to residents of Aberdeen only, meaning those from Aberdeenshire cannot use them.
According to the council’s website: “You must be a resident of Aberdeen City to access our sites. Proof of ID must be shown on arrival.”
Now, Conservative MSP for north-east Scotland Liam Kerr has said this rule may have had its day.
He told The P&J: “The time and the need for ID to be shown at Aberdeen recycling centres may have passed – as has been the case with other Covid-related restrictions – and scrapping it should be considered.
“Constituents have told me this is restricting people and the council should be encouraging as many residents as possible to use these valuable facilities, especially during times like these when refuse collection issues are occurring across the city.
“As well as the inconvenience to residents, the last thing we want is waste piling up at people’s houses going to landfill or being fly-tipped.”
Mr Kerr was contacted by a couple who spoke to The P&J in 2022, who at the time called Aberdeen City Council’s decision to effectively ban Aberdeenshire residents from their Reuse Shop at Hazlehead as being “discriminatory“.
After a recent visit to the Hazlehead Recycling Centre in the west of the city, they realised the rules were in still in place, meaning only those living in Aberdeen can access the shop, which sells “pre-loved items”.
It is not just any pre-loved items that the shop – located at the Suez operated facility – sells, as according to the council, it is ones “donated by residents of Aberdeen”.
The woman – who did not want to be named – said she was “absolutely livid” that the “stupid rules” remain the same, describing them as “barbaric”.
She said: “Even if you just want to visit the reuse charity shop you will not get in unless you show city address ID.”
The woman claims that the site’s workers “absolutely detest” the rules and want it stopped, with them suffering verbal abuse from “irate” customers.
‘It makes no sense whatsoever’
She added: “Even having to show address ID be allowed to recycle goods is illogical. If someone lived in the shire and went there with a friend from town’s address ID (and vice versa) they wouldn’t be stopped.
“I just realised today that when I cleared my late parents’ house (they lived in the shire), I took their recycling to Hazelhead. i was allowed in as I showed city address ID, yet I was recycling shire items.
“It makes no sense whatsoever and needs to be stopped ASAP. No-one should be bullied into showing address ID just to get into a shop.”
A spokeswoman for Aberdeen City Council said: “Access to household waste and recycling centres in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City is restricted to their own residents. This allows each authority can be confident that it is managing the waste produced by its own residents.
“This restriction also applies to the Reuse Shop. The Reuse Shop was opened to divert good quality items taken to HWRCs from going to waste and to increase reuse. Residents who wish to donate items are encouraged to take them to charity shops.
“Visitors can find information about what is needed to access any of our HWRCs on the council website and this will help them avoid unnecessary journeys.”
Conversation