City banks on extra recycling bins to solve overflow crisis

Published on Monday 8 September 2008 10:14

MORE recycling banks are to be installed in supermarket and shopping centre car parks across Edinburgh in a bid to cope with soaring public demand.

The Evening News has been inundated with complaints about overflowing recycling banks in recent months.

One of the key problem areas is the larger recycling sites, such as the one in the car park of Craigleith Retail Park.

The complex has dozens of bins in its recycling centre but they fill up very quickly each day.

The planned increase comes just days before city leaders are set to unveil their latest strategy to increase Edinburgh's recycling rate.

Council chiefs today said the banks at Craigleith suffered from trade waste being dumped in them.

Opposition politicians and environmental groups said upping frequency of collections was just as important as increasing the number of banks.

Inverleith councillor Lesley Hinds said: "I have had a number of complaints about these banks at Craigleith stretching back quite a while.

"It is just not good enough if we have people who are willing to make the effort to recycle but have them facing this kind of thing.

"They can add all the recycling banks they like, but unless they do the bread and butter job of actually emptying them enough then there is no point."

The council's current recycling rate is running at around 26 per cent – below the Scottish average of 29.8 per cent.

The next target facing the council is 30 per cent recycling of all waste by next year.

Mark Sydenham, spokesman for Friends of the Earth Edinburgh, said the scene at Craigleith Retail Park was typical of recycling bins across the city.

He said: "It is a real problem, I am sure if you ask most people who live in the city then they will be able to think of a recycling bank they pass which is overflowing.

"We are in danger of giving recycling a bad name.

"Obviously more recycling facilities are welcome, but I do hope they give serious thought to the frequency of collections."

Figures released to the News last year showed more than 18 people per day are complaining about the city's recycling service.

The number of complaints had increased seven-fold in the past three years as the council has expanded recycling provisions.

The multi-material kerbside recycling scheme now covers more than 112,000 households citywide and there are more than 700 communal recycling points in Edinburgh.

A council spokeswoman said: "

This site has proved hugely popular and is currently being serviced every day of the week.

"Unfortunately, on occasion, sites are not used as they should be and materials are dumped illegally by traders or aren't flattened down before recycling, which can lead to banks filling up quickly.

"We are working with the environmental wardens to prevent illegal waste being dumped at these sites and we are in the process of identifying more sites, purchasing more recycling banks and a vehicle to service them."