Council introduces monthly bin collections - others will follow
Fife has become the first council in Britain to introduce monthly bin collections. At the moment this is just a trial, affecting 2,000 homes in the area, while a separate trial targets another 2,000 homes with collections every three weeks. However, if the monthly collections drive more recycling, it could see everyone in Fife having to hang onto their rubbish all month waiting for a collection.
Those affected are in Markinch and Coaltown of Balgonie, Thornton and Stenton. Big families and those who have disposable nappies to get rid of will be offered bigger bins, but they won't have them collected any more often. Parents with babies must be delighted by the prospect of those nappies hanging around getting increasingly noxious for weeks.
Why?
The idea is to try to encourage more recycling, because the council currently has recycling rates of 54% and needs to hit 60% by 2020. It monitored the rubbish and discovered that 50% of things being thrown away could have been recycled, but that 66% of recycling bins were full or overflowing by the time they were collected.
During the trial (which will run for between nine and 12 months) the council will collect recycling from the kerbside more often. It will then look at the recycling rates in the trial areas - and compare them against broader recycling rates in Fife. They will also monitor whether illegal dumping rates increase.
It highlighted that the move is designed to save money too, pointing out that: "For every tonne of waste landfilled, we currently pay £82.60 per tonne in landfill tax, a cost that is paid directly to the Scottish Government, and this cost is expected to rise annually. If the trials reduce the amount being landfilled this will limit the increase in the cost for Fife." It added: "Landfill tax is going to increase so the council has to find ways of delivering the same service without passing additional costs on."
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Could it happen to you?
Locals haven't been impressed, and a number have Tweeted their disbelief. One said: "Why oh why would Cllrs agree this? #Gaaad", another added "Jeezo. We struggle with fortnightly pick ups." And a third asked: "does this mean it's acceptable to only pay 1/4 of my council tax. Reduced service - reduced payment." Fife Council is responding to tweets with relentlessly upbeat replies about the objective being to get people to recycle more.
Other councils will be watching the trial - and its results - keenly. The current government funding for weekly collections will run out this autumn, and isn't expected to be renewed. Already only 6% of councils operate a weekly service, and that number is expected to dwindle still further.
The vast majority of councils operate fortnightly collections, but already Bury and Gwynedd in Wales have introduced three-weekly collections. If this trial shows increased recycling rates without more fly tipping, councils will have all the proof they need to push for fewer and fewer bin collections.
However, there is a glimmer of hope for those who struggle with monthly collections. Banbridge in Northern Ireland also experimented with monthly collections a while ago, but after the trial ended, they went back to collecting the rubbish every two weeks. The council didn't go into details over their change of heart, but mentioned 'operational difficulties'. There is a chance, therefore, that this is just going to be a temporary inconvenience.
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