Fears for Christmas fly-tipping crisis in Aberdeenshire
MP David Duguid is concerned that the need to book appointments at recycling centres in Aberdeenshire won't be scrapped until January. Would you like to see changes sooner?
A North East MP has raised his concerns over a potential Christmas fly-tipping crisis.
David Duguid, who represents Banff and Buchan, has raised issues with Aberdeenshire Council not looking to review recycling centre bookings until January.
The measure was brought in during the pandemic to space out the arrival of members of the public, and limit interaction.
Around 4,000 residents took part in a consultation on whether changes should be made to the current system of using bookings.
The council has now confirmed the data and comments from the survey, which closed on October 17, will be presented to the environment and infrastructure services committee for discussion on January 20.
Mr Duguid, who has written the council calling for bookings to be scrapped, has expressed concerns that waiting until next year for a decision could lead to a further rise in fly-tipping over the festive season.
The Conservative MP for Banff and Buchan said: “I’m extremely frustrated that officers are leaving it until January to present the findings of the consultation to councillors.
“We have already noticed a rise in fly-tipping across Aberdeenshire in recent months and I’m concerned leaving this system in place over Christmas will escalate incidents to uncontrollable levels.
“Residents now have to wait until January at the earliest for changes to be made – 18 months after the booking system was first introduced.
“There has been a reduction in footfall since then and while I completely understood the need for it when it was introduced in June 2020, recycling centres should now be fully operational without any limitations.
“We must all play our part in supporting the environment and I would encourage everyone to use their recycling centres.”