A decision to review the controversial closure of the Marchbanks recycling centre has been praised by Dundee independent councillor Ian Borthwick.
He believed the SNP administration’s U-turn to waive restrictions on the types of waste deposited at Dundee’s two other sites had played a part in their concession to look again at the site in Harefield Road.
Last week the ruling group yielded to allow bulky garden waste at Baldovie and household waste at Riverside after The Courier highlighted protests from people about the measure, introduced to help the council save money.
Restoring full recycling services in the east and west of the city and not making people in these areas tackle 15-mile round trips with their bulky debris was a step in the right direction. However, Mr Borthwick said it did not address the issue in the north and middle of the city.
At Monday’s policy and resources committee, administration leader Ken Guild accepted his call for a review at Marchbanks but would not be drawn on the timescale.
The independent member said: “I asked if they would be prepared to look again to offer some form of facility for people in the north and middle of the city, in view of the concerns expressed to me by constituents.
“I accept there is a need to watch expenditure and I am not saying the whole service at Marchbanks should be resurrected.
“But it should not be outwith the capacity of officials to come up with some proposals for Marchbanks that would provide more adequate arrangements than what there is at present, which is to make people drive to Baldovie or Riverside with their bulky waste.”
He added: “The decisions to lift the restrictions at Baldovie and Riverside were helpful and this strengthened the case for reviewing the closure of Marchbanks and better serving the needs of what must be a third of the city’s population.”
Andrew Llanwarne of Friends of the Earth Tayside said the council’s decision to look at Marchbanks again is a move in the right direction.
“Clearly, these facilities and the related transport of materials are a financial burden but waste management and recycling are essential services in any city,” he said.
“There’s a requirement for these to be reasonably accessible for all residents of the council area and even with the restoration of full services in Riverside and Baldovie, the north of the city will be poorly served.”
He hoped the council would look at different options, including a community-run reuse, repair and recycling centre.
We should be trying to move towards a “circular economy” where we use the planet’s resources more wisely, over and over again, he added
At Monday’s meeting Mr Guild accepted the restrictions at Baldovie and Riverside had been unpopular, although Dundee’s recycling figures had improved recently. It will take about two weeks for Baldovie and Riverside to take all types of waste again.