Residents will be required to book an appointment to dispose of their waste at Household Waste Recycling Centres in the Stirling area from Wednesday, May 15.
The booking system, available on the Stirling Council website, will enable Stirling residents to reserve a slot for their preferred time and date up to 14 days in advance of their planned visit to Lower Polmaise, Callander, or Balfron.
Residents will be able to log on and book slots from Wednesday, May 1. Any residents wishing to visit the Household Waste Recycling Centre sites up to and on May 14 will not be required to book a slot.
Residents will be required to provide their name, address and vehicle registration number when booking and will need to show their booking reference number and proof of address when they arrive at their chosen Household Waste Recycling Centre.
Those without internet access can arrange a booking by calling 01786 404040.
The introduction of the booking system at Lower Polmaise and Callander brings those sites into line with the centre at Balfron, where a booking system has been operating successfully since June 2020.
The move to an online booking system, increasingly common across Scottish local authorities, will ensure the Household Waste Recycling Centres are accessed only by Stirling Council residents.
It will also reduce indiscriminate use by commercial operators, improve efficiency and provide better site control. Staff will be available on-site to assist residents with their visits and provide recycling advice.
Entry to Household Waste Recycling Centres remains free of charge for residents and there is no limit to the number of visits that residents can make by car. However, vans and trailers will be limited to 12 visits per year, with bookings also required through the booking system.
Convener of the Environment, Transport and Net Zero Committee, Cllr Jen Preston, said: “Residents can book their slots from May 1 for visits to their chosen recycling centre from May 15.
“The new booking system will ensure there are no long queues of traffic at peak times, which can cause frustration. Our site operatives will also be able to provide clearer guidance as demand is better managed when our recycling centres are busiest.
“Appropriate use of the Household Waste Recycling Centres will increase recycling rates and contribute to our net zero ambitions in line with our Climate and Nature Emergency Plan.
“It will also lead to a reduction in the cost of disposing of indiscriminate waste from commercial vehicles. We thank residents for working with us to implement these important changes to improve how we recycle your household waste.
“We understand there will be a period required to allow people to get used to the new system and staff will discuss requirements with anyone who visits after May 15 but hasn’t booked.”
However, more than 2,700 people have already signed an online petition demanding the decision be reversed.
Alastair Majury, previously a Conservative then Independent, councillor, set up the Change.org petition.
Speaking to the Daily Record, he said: “By making it more difficult for householders to responsibly recycle and dispose of non-recyclable waste, this will likely cause an increase in direct and indirect fly-tipping.
“This petition calls on Stirling Council to scrap the booking system for the Lower Polmaise waste management/recycling centre in its entirety or at a minimum to exempt non-commercial vehicle types from having to book.”
Environment, transport and net zero convener Cllr Jen Preston, said: “The new booking system will ensure there are no long queues of traffic at peak times, which can cause frustration.
“Our site operatives will also be able to provide clearer guidance as demand is better managed when our recycling centres are busiest.
“Appropriate use of the household waste recycling centres will increase recycling rates and contribute to our net zero ambitions in line with our Climate and Nature Emergency Plan. It will also lead to a reduction in the cost of disposing of indiscriminate waste from commercial vehicles.
“We thank residents for working with us to implement these important changes to improve how we recycle your household waste. We understand there will be a period required to allow people to get used to the new system and staff will discuss requirements with anyone who visits after May 15 but hasn’t booked.”
Earlier this year, Stirling Council’s waste officers said the measure was a “major control” that could save the council around £82,000 a year, and mitigate the risk of the authority incurring the cost of disposing of residual waste. They noted that, in theory, someone could even book minutes before arrival.
At a meeting of the council’s Environment, Transport and Net Zero Committee, councillors agreed to introduce the system as part of a new waste management policy.
Conservative councillors had put forward an amendment which would have required the electronic booking system to only apply to commercial vehicles, but the Labour and SNP committee members voted for introduction across the board.
Waste service managers said there was “strong anecdotal evidence” suggesting commercial operators were acting as residents to access the recycling centres. Research from other parts of Scotland and the UK showed no correlation between the booking system and fly-tipping.
Featured Image Credit: Aberdeenshire Council
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