Falkirk Council: Plans to combine food and garden waste in one bin dropped

They revealed the proposal in March this year and the change would have meant that people’s brown bins – which are currently just for garden waste – will be collected every two weeks throughout the year. Councillors heard that it wouldn’t happen straight away as it would be necessary to build a new facility at its Bo’ness recycling centre, Kinneil Kerse, at a cost of about £300,000.

However, councillors were told that the new system will save an estimated £400,000 every year once it is up and running.

But now on Tuesday councillors are to hear a proposal to start charging a £35 annula fee for brown bin uplifts, as well as the return of a previously scrapped £40 fee for special uplifts.

Other suggestions include Roughmute and Kinneil recycling centre opening at 10am, rather than 8 am, with closing time remaining at 6 pm, to reduce the reliance on casual staff and overtime.

The report to councillors says the changes are necessary to comply with changes to legislation, including a biodegradable landfill ban that will come into effect in 2025.

Removing some services and charging for others will also help the council to save cash as it faces a massive budget gap of £69 million over the next four years. The review also includes plans to introduce a booking system to the recycling centres.

Councillors will also be asked to agree that larger green bins would only be granted to households with seven or more people in them, in a bid to encourage people to recycle more.

The report also suggests axing the council’s environment enforcement team, whose role is to investigate fly tipping and littering offences and to issue fixed penalty notices where there is enough evidence.

A Falkirk Council spokesperson said: “Earlier this year we looked at the possibility of combining food and garden waste into one collection which required a significant investment.

“However following a review and taking into consideration the forthcoming guidance from the Scottish Government on segregated waste, it was evident this proposal wouldn’t be advantageous in terms of financial savings or indeed improving our recycling performance.”