With significant bin strikes hitting Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, the Highlands and Orkney this week, residents are bracing themselves for what could be a difficult few weeks.
Each local authority has given out basic advice on handling potentially overflowing bins, but what about the questions they’re not answering?
Here we take a look at some more out-of-the-box questions…
Can I burn my rubbish?
If you’ve got rubbish piling up and beginning to smell or attract pests, burning it in your garden might seem like an easy solution.
There are no specific bylaws prohibiting garden bonfires or specifying times they can be lit.
However, this is not a licence for indiscriminate burning.
Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 it is an offence for people to dispose of their domestic waste in a way “likely to cause pollution of the environment or harm to human health.”
In practice, you should not burn waste that is likely to create excessive smoke or noxious fumes, and council websites across the region all specifically state that “household rubbish” should not be burned.
If only dry garden waste is burnt, your bonfire should not cause a problem.
Will they bring the army in to deal with it?
If things get really bad and the mounting rubbish is considered to be a health hazard, a few readers wanted to know if the army would be brought in to clean up the mess.
It’s true that there is some precedent here.
The most famous example was in March 1975 when the British Army was called in to clear thousands of tonnes of rubbish swamping the streets of Glasgow during a bin strike at the time.
The workers had gone on strike in January, meaning there was a build-up of 13 weeks’ worth of rubbish lying on pavements.
It was the first time that the military was used in an industrial dispute in 25 years and they cleared approximately 70,000 tonnes of rotting waste.
Will I get a council tax rebate or a brown bin charge refund?
You may well be wondering “what do I pay my council tax for?” if your bins aren’t being collected.
In truth, only a very small portion of each household’s council tax is spent on refuse collection and it’s very unlikely that any council would refund this following a strike.
In Aberdeen, you must pay an additional £30 if you want a brown bin for garden waste.
The council has said explicitly that no refunds are due for this in the event of strike action.
Instead, they recommend delaying cutting your grass or trimming your hedge if your brown bin is due for collection during the action.
Can I go to the recycle point or waste centre myself to dump rubbish?
The answer is that it depends where you live.
Some councils, like Aberdeen, say that their household waste and recycling centres will be open throughout the strikes, though the sites will be busier than usual and you may need to queue.
Others, like Highland Council, have closed certain premises like the waste and recycling centre in Dingwall.
In Aberdeenshire, it’s not yet clear if these waste and recycling points will remain open but “pockets of disruption” are expected.
Will the bin strikes increase flytipping?
It’s difficult to say one way or another, but councils have been keen to remind residents that the problems are only temporary and they should store their waste until it can be collected.
Peter Stewart, owner of Aberkill pest control services in Aberdeen, remembers the last major strikes in the 1970s and 80s and said that residents started flytipping in nearby woods and green spaces, just to get the rubbish away from their front door.
“People starting throwing their rubbish bags into the woods,” he said.
“I’d hope we don’t see anything like that again now but if the strikes go on longer term then it could well be an issue.”
Conversation