Dundee environment convener Craig Melville has defended the council’s recycling services and insisted they were no less than those in other Scottish cities.
He was speaking in response to a claim that fly-tipping was increasing in Dundee as a result of the closure of the Marchbanks recycling site.
Coldside resident Brenda Marr highlighted in Tuesday’s Courier the debris discarded at Fairmuir Park to back her belief.
She said there was no such dumping before the nearby Marchbanks site closed, and she alleged people were leaving their rubbish in the open ground because the other recycling sites at Riverside and Baldovie were too far away.
Councillor Melville stressed fly-tipping was closely monitored and there was a near 9% drop in incidents from April to July in comparison to the same period of the previous year.
“The claim that there is more fly-tipping in Dundee is simply not supported by our evidence,” he said.
“Our figures show the number of incidents has gone down. We have two recycling centres that accept a full range of materials and many neighbourhood recycling sites plus a household waste collection system.
“The service in Dundee is no less than the service in other major Scottish cities. Edinburgh, for example, has three recycling centres and Glasgow has four.”
The council had to find £16 million of savings over two years, he explained, and all departments had to be scrutinised for spending reductions.
Mr Melville continued: “We looked at our priorities across the board and in environment we identified recycling for savings.
“We have responsibilities for delivering a range of public services, and is it more important that we spend on recycling than on vulnerable members of the community, for example?
“Closing one recycling centre means people may have to drive up to four miles with their bulky waste to another centre, but is that any worse than in other Scottish cities?”
* Restrictions on the type of waste deposited at Baldovie and Riverside were lifted after public complaints. The council is also reviewing recycling provision after calls to reopen Marchbanks.
Ending the restrictions will cost the council £86,000 a year and equivalent savings will have to be found elsewhere.