Is 250 trips a year to a recycling centre too many?

The council in Dumfries and Galloway is considering limiting the number of visits to its household waste recycling centres

A Scottish council is considering capping the number of visits to its household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) after one user booked nearly 250 visits in a year.

The local authority in Dumfries and Galloway said it highlighted "potential misuse" of the facilities by commercial operators.

They are now weighing up proposals to limit the number of trips any individual can make.

BBC News website readers have been giving their opinions on whether or not that would be a good idea.

Julia Cox from Castle Douglas was one of a number of people who feared the move could have consequences for the countryside.

"The number of visits shouldn't be capped, the rubbish would be fly-tipped incurring far more cost," she said.

"There is obviously a need for a tip for commercial waste and most commercial users would be willing to pay a reasonable price to use such a facility."

The council has a network of recycling centres across the region

Karen Sutherland of Lockerbie - one of the sites where many of the visits were booked - said the idea was "rubbish".

"I use Lockerbie tip, it is never busy - rarely more than two vehicles," she said.

"Plus it's not open every day - having to book is a nuisance.

"I either book in advance in anticipation of cutting the lawn or end up with bags of garden waste fermenting for days until l can grab a spot."

Charge for recycling visits

However, Graham Black of Moffat, said he would not be against some kind of limit.

"I use the Beattock site perhaps 12 times a year," he said.

"Yes there should be a cap of perhaps 30 - but I think it may be difficult to enforce."

Karen Armstrong of Dumfries suggested it might be a way of generating funds for the local authority.

"Potholes, blocked road drains, lack of litter bins are all issues they 'can't afford' to address while businesses are making money and costing council thousands," she said.

"They could allow 12 free uses a year and over that apply a fee or charge businesses a higher rate per visit if it is a business-related dump.

"This could raise much-needed funds for other things."

A review of council recycling centres for household waste is being carried out

Another Dumfriesshire resident, Iain Murray, said his visit numbers fluctuated.

"It all depends on the time of year," he said.

"With a medium-sized car and a moderately-sized garden taking non-compostable waste such as tree cuttings and hedge trimmings could involve two visits in a day.

"But averaged over a year it is probably about 26 times in a year."

Looking from outside the region, Owen McMillan from Renfrewshire suggested that a relatively high cap might be the answer.

"We need to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater," he warned.

"It may be reasonable to limit the maximum number of visits to an average figure of say once per week - 50 - per year.

"This would address the extreme use cases and not unnecessarily restrict people in general."

A council statement said it planned a review of its HWRCs and Zero Waste Parks.

It said that although it currently had no restrictions it was clear the sites were for household waste only.

It said it would benchmark against other local authorities and also establish the average number of visits it would expect an individual to make.

The council added that the customer highlighted in the report visited with an estate car and trailer - sometimes three or more times a day.

"A typical household does not generate this volume of waste, which strongly suggests the material was from a commercial operation," it said.

"This behaviour undermines the intended purpose of HWRCs, which is to support household waste disposal."