A Perthshire councillor has presented a petition from Alyth residents to Perth and Kinross Council that has the majority of its respondents opposed to recycling bins being placed in the town.
Councillor Dennis Melloy told The Courier that 380 local people signed the petition, with 366 disagreeing with the local authority’s decision to introduce the bins as part of a pilot project and 14 agreeing with it.
The Node bins were brought to Alyth Square as part of a Recycling on the Go initiative on a three-month trial period.
Mr Melloy claimed the bins were “dumped” in Alyth Square “without any consultation” and he states that if they are not used enough, they will be taken away.
“I have been advised by the council’s waste services manager that if the community don’t want them or they are under-used, they have no problem having them removed,” he said.
“I have spoken to people who have used these bins and they have told me they use them only because it saves them putting items in their own bin or having to go round to the existing skip in the town.
“They also told me they don’t want them in the town square and signed the petition. I wonder if the Wellmeadow in Blairgowrie or St John’s Square in Perth is the next to have them?”
However, a spokesperson for Perth and Kinross Council said the bins were introduced to allow shoppers, visitors, local people and those travelling through Alyth to recycle items that would otherwise be “discarded” in public litter bins and end up in landfill.
“This includes on-the-go items such as newspapers, cans and plastic bottles and cardboard sandwich containers,” he said.
“The bins allow visitors and residents to make a considered choice with regards to disposing of their personal litter.”
He continued: “Zero Waste Scotland has awarded Perth and Kinross Council a capital grant to encourage increased Recycling on the Go opportunities in public areas and thereby stimulate public behavioural change.
“This is a new initiative that we hope to roll out across Perth and Kinross and (we) have had some very positive responses regarding increasing recycling provision.”
The range of material collected in the bins matches that currently accepted in domestic blue-lidded kerbside recycling bins and includes paper, cardboard, rigid plastic and cans.
The council spokesperson added: “The large-capacity bins have been chosen as this means they can be serviced on a fortnightly frequency by the refuse collection vehicle, which is collecting the domestic blue-lidded bins in the village, thus making recycling litter bins an economically-viable option.
“We also hope that the bins may provide a useful facility for residents who perhaps do not have space at home for a recycling bin but would like to recycle their waste. These bins are very conveniently placed to allow residents to use them when, for example, visiting the shops.
“The recycling bins in the Market Square are fixed to a steel base plate and central column, offering the benefit of securing the bins in their location without the need for any groundswork. This allows the bins to be very easily relocated.
“The bins are currently being trialled in Alyth for a period of three months, to help gauge public reaction and usage. If they are found to be very unpopular or under-used we will look to remove or relocate the bins.”