Booking system for Fife's recycling centres could be extended

Officials at Fife Council are calling for a booking system at the region's recycling centres to be extended.

The system was brought in last year to limit the number of people turning up at the facilities and allow for social distancing.

But a petition launched on Friday, calling for the rules to be scrapped, has now gathered more than 2,000 signatures.

Councillors will meet on Thursday to decide whether to keep the system in place for the time being.

In his report to elected members, Ken Gourlay - who is the head of assets, transportation and environment - says that "uncontrolled access" to the sites "presents a risk to employees and members of the public" under Covid-19 guidelines.

His report also points out that the current system saves the council up to £1.5 million a year - because it is able to control who is using the sites, leading to reduced costs for dealing with commercial waste.

Councillor Linda Holt launched the petition after receiving complaints from constituents in the East Neuk.

She said: "The runaway support for the petition and the deluge of comments show just how spectacularly out of touch the Environment Convenor Cllr Ross Vettraino and Fife Council officers are.

"In only 48 hours public support for scrapping the booking system has outstripped the support officers claim their survey found  for keeping it.

"Bear in mind they only asked visitors to the recycling centres who had already successfully used the booking system - the thousands of people put off by having to make an appointment didn't get a say.

"The public has seen through the council's self-serving report. There is real anger that the council is using Covid as an excuse to cut essential public services."

But Councillor Ross Vettraino - the environment convener - denies any extension of the system will be motivated by financial gain.

He told Kingdom FM: "It was put in to enable Fife Resource Solutions to meet its statutory duty to have regard for the health and safety of its staff, and the health and safety of those who are not employed by it, but who may be affected by its actions.

"The booking system was not introduced to that end [saving money] - it was introduced to comply with the government guidelines on social distancing."

Mr Vettraino also claims there is public support for the system, despite the petition.

He added: "The council carried out its own survey of those who use the recycling centres and the majority were in favour of keeping the booking system.

"An even bigger majority said that their experience of using the recycling centres had improved as a consequence of using the booking system."

Councillors have been told that "there will be an expectation that sites will reopen to their original agreed schedules" once services return to pre-pandemic levels.