IS BELLEVUE TRIAL A WASTE OF TIME?

I had thought that this week's article would just be noting these recycling efforts, in the hope of spurring us all on to ever greater things, writes Fred Street of the New Town Clean Streets Campaign (NTCSC). 

For background, follow the Breaking news links here (9.3.15) and here (21.2.15).

I might have permitted myself to note that there was a significant element of 'general' waste in these bins, and to wonder how this was going to be addressed.

However, on my round of inspection on Friday 13 March, I witnessed a single lorry collecting the contents of both the black general waste containers and of the new green recycling containers.

I asked the crew if they realised that they were putting our precious recycling efforts in with the landfill.

Not only were they unaware of the existence of the trial, not only did they make clear that the contents of the recycling bins have been included with landfill since the beginning, but the men also expressed doubt that it would be possible to resource a separate trip given the number of vehicles of this type available (and their reliability or lack of it) and staffing levels.

In any case, whether theoretically possible or not, it seems that no such separate trip for recycling is currently being scheduled.

So, why has the Council pushed ahead with this 'trial' when it does not have the resources to conduct it properly? What exactly are the parameters of the current 'trial' and how will its success be measured?

I think we have the right to expect straightforward answers to these questions.

Local residents will be all too aware that collection of the 3200L containers, until now used only for 'general' waste, operates on something of a knife-edge. In August and September for example, many will recall the irregularity of the service, the number of missed collections and so on, which were put down to servicing issues with the vehicles. The same thing happened again in January (in the New Town, at least). Is it really wise to increase our dependence on this type of vehicle at this point?

In her last response on your pages, Councillor Hinds implied that residents are discouraged from recycling by scurrilous rumours and misconceptions about the true destination of the various waste streams (Breaking news, 27.2.15).

I would submit that residents are more likely to be discouraged from recycling by the Council's treating waste disposal issues as an exercise in oh-so-cleverly sweeping things under the carpet, rather than as a basic public service that they actually need to perform properly. 

If Councillor Hinds or a Council Officer responds to this article, as I believe they should do, please could that response not be that this incident simply could not have occurred and that this is just another mischief-making campaign of misinformation? That would do nothing to ensure that these very real problems are addressed. A Council that cares about doing things properly must accept that we need to have this debate.

Only when we feel confident that attempts are actually being made to recycle the contents of the trial bins will it seem appropriate for NTCSC to resume checking whether general waste is being wrongly thrown into these bins by residents.

[Spurtle advised City of Edinburgh Council about this article late this afternoon, and has invited a response. We will publish it as and when it arrives.]