COUNCIL chiefs in Aberdeen are to send “bin police” to households across the city who ask for extra waste containers.
Officials will visit properties the day before rubbish is due for collection to offer advice and make sure they are following green guidelines properly.
Last night, one senior councillor admitted the move could be seen as a “nanny state” approach, but argued that most citizens were onboard with recycling measures.
Local authorities across the country are working to match the Scottish Government’s ambition of reducing the amount of waste going to landfill to 5% by 2025.
As part of its strategy, the city council is issuing smaller general waste bins with about one quarter less capacity – a reduction from 240 litres to 180 litres.
That plan is based on the fact that most rubbish will be recycled.
Under new criteria agreed yesterday, the council will still make exceptions and grant extra bins to people with medical conditions, or households where there are two or more children aged under three.
But Neil Cooney, convener of the city council’s communities, housing and infrastructure committee, said any worries about a “bin Gestapo” scenario were unjustified.
He said: “I don’t think it is a nanny state approach. It is a co-operative approach, and I believe in working in partnership with folk.
“What we don’t want is a bin Gestapo situation, whereby we will be telling people what to do.
“Some people do need advice from time to time on what can and can’t be recycled.
“But our waste aware team are very approachable and are very active in the community.”
In a report to the committee yesterday, councillors were warned that the new rules could prompt “negative publicity” about the new recycling assessments.
The report added: “These could be seen as the council acting as ‘bin police’. However, it should be considered that if all households who applied for additional containers were fully recycling, many of them would not require additional general waste containers.”
Torry and Ferryhill councillor Alan Donnelly, a Scottish Conservative, acknowledged that the idea of visiting people to impress upon them the need to recycle could be taken in the wrong way.
He said: “I know it seems a lot like the nanny state, us going round and knocking on doors, asking how much people are recycling.
“But if that leads to greater efficiencies then it is worth it.
“On the negative side, it seems that the council is interfering in people’s affairs, but I honestly think that Joe Public is very green-conscious and generally educated about recycling.
“In my ward, you have some families who may feel that they need an extra bin, but you also have a lot of single people who would struggle to fill the large waste bin most of the time.”
Councillors agreed yesterday on a number of changes to policies on assisted collection and additional container criteria and application process.
The local authority’s zero-waste strategy also includes an investment of about £24million in new recycling facilities.
The developments include a major energy-from-waste (EfW) plant to convert household rubbish into fuel to heat homes and businesses.
The council’s proposed local development plan has identified a site at Greenbank Crescent, East Tullos, for the EfW complex.
A greenfield site at Altens East, next to Doonies Farm, has been proposed for a recycling facility and collection depot, which would be relocated from Kittybrewster.