A PDF version of this statement is available here.
Letters were received by some Dennistoun residents (see attached photos) relating to the food waste collection in flats, which seemed even vaguer than letters that have also just come out recently in Dennistoun around bins being moved from back courts out on to the streets. This one states “Your food waste bin has been removed from the bin area due to health and safety reasons (i.e. persistent contamination or unsafe for our collection crews to empty the bins from your property).” No dates were given, nor any point of contact.
Community councillors report their bins haven’t yet been removed. Maybe that’s still to come. We question whether this can be justified as being for “persistent contamination reasons”, GCC tagged bins in spring/summer (see attached photo), making them out of use. How can it be unsafe for the collection crews seeing as the blue and green bins are serviced? Is it for the same reason that the blue and green bins are more of a hazard than the red decanting wheelie bins they were using?
The website offers no further clarity. “Where there have been issues with contamination and access, bins will be removed and public food waste bins provided instead. A list of these locations can be found on the Council’s website. The location of these public/on street facilities means that no one will need to undertake anything other than a short walk to use these facilities.”
We have concerns that ‘public food waste bins just a short walk away’ sounds like another push for more on-street bins, on the presumption that numerous homes have received one of these letters, and the fact that there are currently very few on-street food recycling points in Dennistoun.
More big bins on footways for residential waste is not the way toward “improving your neighbourhood” nor a “cleaner and better place to live” And the take-up on these food bins is surely likely to be extremely low unless they become prevalent to the point of literally being only a few steps from your front door. Food recycling simply isn’t the same as glass recycling, or even cardboard/cans.
In short, this is at best terrible communications, and at worst a retrograde step under false pretences.
This statement was sent to Patrick Harvie (MEP for Glasgow Region) as a follow-up to a Parliamentary Food Waste Survey, and copied to all Dennistoun Ward Councillors on Monday 10th December 2020.
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