'Be positive' plea over new Dumfries and Galloway bin scheme

A new service is being rolled out across Dumfries and Galloway

A council left with thousands of unneeded bins when it shelved a waste collection system has urged the public to "be positive" about its new plans.

Dumfries and Galloway trialled a previous scheme but never rolled it out regionwide.

It is now in the process of introducing a new multi-bin system to replace its single-bin operations. to replace its single-bin operations.

The council said early feedback had been "positive".

Dumfries and Galloway Council was one of a handful of councils to operate a single-bin system thanks to an Eco Deco waste treatment plant which separated waste so households did not have to.

However, changes to regulations in 2012 meant that was no longer possible.

In order to meet recycling targets, separate collections of waste were required.

It prompted the council to trial a new scheme in Wigtownshire, but it was never rolled out in the face of complaints, rising costs and health and safety concerns from staff.

This meant tens of thousands of containers were no longer needed and had to be kept in storage at a cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

'No guarantee'

Now, a new three wheelie bin system has been tried out in Wigtownshire again and is ready to be rolled out at a cost of £23m.

"There is no guarantee that this is actually going to work," admitted Andy Ferguson, who chairs the council's communities committee.

"What we have developed now with Zero Waste Scotland is a cost-effective and, we think, effective policy and procedure to actually deal with waste in the region.

"The early indications from Wigtownshire are positive."

He said every household should get clear communication over how the scheme would be rolled out in their area.

"We really need to start complying with the legislation, that is the crux of the matter," he said.

"We should be doing this because it is the right thing to do not because we are being made to do it.

"For that we require the public's co-operation, it is as simple as that, we are asking them to be positive about it - and let's meet our targets.

"Let's all muck in together and let's make sure we meet those targets."