Potential changes to bin collection services in two Fife communities could be the first of more to come, a councillor has warned.
George Kay has demanded that a consultation be conducted with residents of St James Place in Kinghorn and Lammerlaws Road in Burntisland over plans that would see collection points moved.
Residents fear that they may have to move their bins hundreds of yards, after Fife Council claimed that using large lorries to collect waste from hard-to-access streets was “inefficient”.
Councillor Kay fears the move is simply a cost-cutting measure and has stated his belief that the two affected streets in his ward could be the start of a wider revision of routes.
“If you live in the countryside then there is maybe a realisation that these things happen,” he said. “But if you are in a residential area and have received a service for years then that is simply not on.
“The lorries have never had any problems getting down before. It has been ill thought out and you have to wonder what the totality of the situation is.”
Changes to collection points were meant to begin this month, although Fife Council has postponed the implementation for four weeks after an outcry from residents.
David Mullen, a resident of St James Place, said 43 people had signed a petition against the proposed changes.
“We have a lady with Parkinson’s disease and another person who has just had a hip operation living here,” he said.
“In winter time are they expected to drag their bin along the road when there is spray coming off the sea?”
Martin Kingham, service manager with Fife Council’s waste collection department, confirmed that collection options would be reviewed, adding: “The option we proposed in the Kinghorn ward involved no change to the three-bin service currently provided to residents but had a change in collection location with some inconvenience to residents.
“There may be other options that will involve a reduction in the level of convenient kerbside recycling that we can offer but will not inconvenience residents with regards to the distance that they need to wheel their bins.
“The current arrangements for servicing difficult-to-access properties across Fife are very inefficient in terms of vehicle usage.”
Photo by David Wardle