Stirling Council Unveils Proposals for New City Centre Waste Collections

Stirling Council Unveils Proposals
for New City Centre Waste Collections

Stirling Council have unveiled proposals for a new city centre domestic waste collection system. Bins and sacks will be used to collect rubbish and recyclable waste from properties instead of bins only. The details of the proposals still have to be firmed up and the council want to consult with residents before any new system is put in place.

The council introduced a new waste disposal system back in Autumn 2016, which increased the number of wheelie bins per household from 2 to 4. They hoped that the new system would save money, reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, and increase recycling rates. 80,000 bins were given to households around the city, but the system did not extend to the city centre.

Council officers have since assessed the city centre to find out whether the area would be suitable for the introduction of additional bins and whether they could feasibly be emptied. The officers found that out of 1609 city centre properties, 1493 were unsuitable for inclusion in the new proposals. 1096 properties were considered to be appropriate for a bin/sack system but 396 only had room for the sacks.

The council say that the aim of introducing the new system is to create a more efficient collection service for the city centre that is similar to the systems in place in other areas across the city. They are proposing to introduce the bin/sack system for households with limited outdoor space and a 2 sack system for properties that don’t have room for bins. One sack would be designated for recycling and the other would be for general waste.

The council also want to reduce collections and visible waste in the city centre by collecting business and domestic waste together.

One councillor commented that introducing the new system would not be so easy and that the city would have to be looked at street by street, due to the narrow streets and potential access problems for refuse vehicles in the city centre.

Community groups have said that a new waste collection system is long overdue and the combining of residential and business waste collections will mean fewer vehicles in the city centre and a greener and more efficient service.