Central bin services could 'worsen responsiveness'

Bin collections are currently controlled by local authorities

Centralising waste disposal management on the Isle of Man could lead to a service which cannot react as easily to what is happening locally, a commissioner has said.

The Department of Infrastructure is currently asking for views on a proposed 10-year waste strategy, which include the centralisation of bin collections.

It said the aim was to make improvements to current systems and maximise recycling.

But Ramsey Commissioner Juan McGuiness said local authorities being responsible for their own areas meant they could be “very reactive to the needs of the townspeople”.

The consultation document said centralisation could "reduce costs, standardise household waste services and increase recycling through economies of scale".

Currently, the island’s 21 local authorities coordinate their own services by either providing it themselves or contracting it out.

'No guarantee'

Current arrangements meant "if someone says actually the bins are starting to overflow or it’s bank holiday weekend, then we can react to that and take steps”, McGuinness said.

Centralisation would mean "no direct control... and therefore I would imagine responsiveness would fall down", he added.

McGuinness told the Local Democracy Reporting Service waste services accounted for about 20% of Ramsey's annual rates budget, but it was “too early” to say if centralisation would mean reduced costs.

He said: “That’s a mixture of ongoing staffing costs, waste disposal costs and capital investment with the refuse collection vehicles and other equipment.

“You can’t just unpick that and say that it’ll be cheaper... there’s no guarantee that’ll work out.”

While centralisation would mean “one less service" to provide locally, savings could not be calculated until “what each individual area actually gets, what it wants, what it needs and what’s required” was worked out, he said.

The department has said feedback to the proposals would be used to shape an Isle of Man Waste Strategy to run from 2025 to 2035.

The deadline for participation in the consultation has been extended by a month to 31 October.

Additional reporting by Emma Draper, Local Democracy Reporter.