Concerns have been raised about a potential surge in fly-tipping this Christmas after it was revealed a decision on scrapping recycling centre bookings in Aberdeenshire won’t be made until January.
Due to the pandemic, the local authority placed restrictions on recycling centres requiring residents to book a slot in advance before coming to drop off their waste.
This has since been scrapped by other councils like Aberdeen City, but remains in place across Aberdeenshire.
Fears of ‘uncontrollable levels’ of fly-tipping
Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid believes it will cause problems this festive season with frustrated residents dumping their waste and has written to the council calling for the system to be ended.
“We have already noticed a rise in fly-tipping across Aberdeenshire in recent months and I’m concerned leaving this system in place over Christmas will escalate incidents to uncontrollable levels,” he said.
“Residents now have to wait until January at the earliest for changes to be made – 18 months after the booking system was first introduced.”
We want to know what you think
Do you find it easier to arrange a pre-booked slot or do you miss the freedom of being able to turn up whenever you like?
Earlier this year, around 4,000 residents consulted on whether changes should be made to the current booking system.
The council has confirmed the data and comments from the survey, which closed on October 17, will be presented to the infrastructure services committee for discussion on January 20 next year.
It’s possible that many residents may prefer to maintain the current booking system as it means there are no queues at the recycling facilities.
But waiting until January to hear the results is a mistake according to Mr Duguid.
“I’m extremely frustrated that officers are leaving it until January to present the findings of the consultation to councillors,” he said.
“There has been a reduction in footfall since then and while I completely understood the need for it when it was introduced in June 2020, recycling centres should now be fully operational without any limitations.”
‘Illegal and unsightly’ – but not the fault of the current booking system
Aberdeenshire Council maintains that it has made things as easy as possible for residents to get rid of their waste.
“I would strongly remind the public and businesses that fly-tipping is illegal and offenders will be prosecuted,” added the council’s waste services manager, Ros Baxter.
“Not only is it illegal, it is unsightly and, in some cases, poses a danger to the public and our waste teams who have to remove it.”
She also pointed out that it is unlikely that fly-tipping is linked to the booking system as figures have risen and fallen for many years.