Rubbish could be left piling up outside homes across Aberdeenshire as the council stops hiring agency staff to replace absent bin collectors.
A £753,000 cut to the service was voted through on Thursday, despite officials acknowledging the risks involved.
It came as the local authority met to trim £17m in spending across the next year, with local leaders warning that many of the cuts would “impact every resident” in the area.
What are the Aberdeenshire Council bin collection cuts?
Following the vote, the local authority will stop hiring agency staff to fill gaps in its fleet of bin workers.
Under the changes, crews will be left short when any member is off sick or on annual leave.
In the weeks ahead of the budget meeting, officials compiled reports on the impact each saving could have.
They wrote that the agency staff cut could “result in collections being missed and therefore create a build-up of waste and recycling”.
Aberdeenshire bin cuts ‘could potentially cause health issues’
The dossier states: “Collections would also be impacted if there is any loss of staff.”
And the experts explained that certain demographics who tend to generate more rubbish, such as households with young children, might be worst hit.
The report adds: “If waste and recycling collections are missed, households will end up with a build-up of waste and recycling, potentially causing health issues.
“Additional side waste may also be present – which would take up more space on the pavements, creating a hazard.”
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So what can be done?
While recycling centres could be used to “limit the build-up of waste” in these situations, officers add that this “may not be suitable” for those unable to reach such a facility.
And if centres reach capacity they would have to be closed.
The agency savings are just one part of the £753,000 package of cuts – which will also see a “review” of garden waste collections across Aberdeenshire.
This could mean bins are not collected, with residents instead taking the material to recycling centres themselves.
Read more on the Aberdeenshire Council budget cuts:
Parking charges soar but gritting spared as we reveal full scale of budget cuts across Aberdeenshire
ALL school crossing patrollers across Aberdeenshire axed despite fears streets ‘aren’t safe’
New Fraserburgh and Stonehaven schools shelved by council months after being snubbed by government
11th hour U-turn on council tax cash leaves Aberdeenshire leaders shocked by surprise £3m
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