Update on Changes to Bin Collections and Recycling in Broughty Ferry

Manufacturer's illustration of
1280 litre communal bins ordered
by the Environment Department

At the Environment Committee last night, the Committee approved the purchase of additional communal recycling bins for householders in Broughty Ferry and the West End at a cost of £106,940. 

Both areas of the city are in the planned first phase of the new fortnightly general waste black bin collections along with more collections of waste for recycling. These new collections are planned to begin in March of this year.

Along with two other opposition Councillors, I used the opportunity to quiz the Convener of this Committee, Councillor Craig Melville about progress with the promised consultation with community organisations and with householders prior to the switch to the new services. 

These consultations were meant to ensure that residents are given a choice about which of the new recycling containers they can accommodate. In addition, in flatted accommodation, householders as groups are meant to be able to choose the most acceptable communal recycling and waste bins for their close or block. 

I also asked the Convener whether there had been any progress with making up one calendar for all the Domestic Bin / Recycling Container Collections. I wanted to avoid householders having to check four or five calendars from the Council to work out which bin to put out each day. I reminded the Convener that I had raised this issue at a previous meeting. He assured the meeting that work was ongoing on this and this should be ready for the changes in Broughty Ferry.

With only eight weeks to go before these changes apparently are being introduced, I was not entirely satisfied by the Convener's assurances that the consultations are as thorough as promised and that it will all be fine when the fortnightly kerbside general waste collections along with more recycling collections are introduced in The Ferry.

Any residents who would like to be consulted about the new collections and which of the new recycling containers they can accommodate should contact the Environment Department via Dundee (01382) 433710

Changes to Domestic Waste Collections - One Size Fits All Will Not Work in Broughty Ferry

At the Environment Committee on Monday night the Committee agreed, after a vote, to go ahead with a scheme to enhance recycling of domestic waste. While my Labour colleagues and I support the need to dramatically improve the proportion of recycling, we thought there was a crucial step that had been missed out. We believe that a consultation with the public, which the Council had agreed to undertake over a year ago, should have happened first. Using their majority, SNP Councillors voted through their scheme.

In the discussion at the Council and at a prior briefing for Councillors we did impress on the Director of Environment, Ken Laing and the Convener of Environment, Craig Melville (SNP) the importance of recognising that a 'one size fits all' approach will not work. While many homes in Broughty Ferry can cope with multiple bins into which to separate their rubbish, this is not realistic for folk who live in properties with limited or no off street storage space. This is clear in the picture I took last week in Abercromby Street where there are only general waste bins supplied in the bin stores for the blocks of low rise walk up flats.

The Director and Convener agreed that they would need to engage with the public and they would introduce a variety of measures according to household and neighbourhood circumstances. If they don't commit to consultation with residents now, I think there will be many folk who will be more than disappointed when the weekly general (grey bin) waste collection becomes fortnightly. 

I encourage all community groups in The Ferry to contact the Environment Department to ask for a meeting about how recycling can be improved in their streets before the weekly general waste collections are phased out.

Ferry Open Space Needing Care and Attention

The Council mowers had been out on Thursday cutting the grass on the triangle of land at the end of Douglas Terrace.  I commented last year about the rather poor effect of cutting the flatter section of open space one day and then coming back up to a week later to cut the steep banking with a different mower.

At the Environment Committee tonight, approval will be sought for the purchase of several new mowers. I hope that with this additional pool of equipment, it will be possible for all sections of grassy areas like this to be cut on the same day.

The flower bed at the same location is also looking rather sad. I have asked the Environment Department to arrange to weed and replant this. I have also asked them to fill in the ruts that were made in the surface of the grass (out of shot) when the contractors that upgraded the coastal pathway used this area for plant storage.

Dundee Cyclathon Success 2012

Registration in Camperdown Park

Yesterday I took part in the Dundee Cyclathon organised by Claverhouse Rotary Club. The cyclathon uses the Dundee Green Circular route with a start and finish in Camperdown Park. The event encourages fund raising for the Caring for Kids charity or for the self-nominated charity of an individual or teams of entrants. The Cyclathon is not a race and includes cyclists of varying ages and abilities.

This year I registered a team, 'Bidwell Bikers' raising money for Tushinde Children's Trust that supports the education and nutrition of children living in the sprawling Mathare slums in Nairobi.  I had signed up my two daughters to cycle and attract sponsorship with me. My older daughter badly sprained her ankle and so had to withdraw from the event. Her place was taken by a neighbour.

As well as enjoying a pleasant bike ride round the circuit and collecting our medals at the end, we have already raised over £250 and there's more to come in from folk who have committed to support us and from whom we now need to collect the cash.

As a Councillor, it was also interesting for me to do the rounds because some improvements to the Green Circular route have been proposed in a report that is being considered by the Environment Committee later today. As I have cycled round the route the day before the meeting, I think that will give what I have to say some additional credibility.

One early observation is that the frequency and positioning of Green Circular way markers is inadequate and that does need to improve. 

Another observation, is that our Environment Department staff have worked really hard to bring the Green Circular route up to scratch for this event and the general public at other times.

A good day out on two wheels.

One Cut That Has Not Gone Far Enough in Broughty Ferry

Click on image to enlarge

It is unusual for a Labour Councillor to be arguing that the cuts are not going far enough. In this case, it's the Council's grass cutting that is not going far enough.
Let me explain. 
Have a look at my photograph of the small public green space which is situated at the Western end of Douglas Terrace in The Ferry. Taken over a week ago I hope it is possible for you to to see that a patch of grass on the bank of this public open space has not been mowed. Notice the daisies growing in the longer grass on the bank compared with the shorter length of more recently cut grass on the flatter section of this open space. And one week later that's how it remains but all the grass is longer with some much longer than the rest because it missed being mowed at the last cut.
I inquired, at the June Meeting of the Environment Committee, about why edges of flower beds and steep grassy banks are not mowed at the same time as the rest of the grass. After all that's what most folk would do in their own gardens. I was told that for 'efficiency' reasons flatter sections of grass are mowed separately from the steeper slopes and different mowers are used.
While I can accept that the mowing regime means that steep banks get cut later, I did not imagine that this meant there might be more than a week between different sections of the same expanse of grass being cut.
So that's why, in this instance, I am demanding more extensive cuts! 
As the famous expression goes, 'If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well.'

Council Meetings Monday 11 June 2012 - My Contributions

Last night we had a series of Council Committee meetings. There were fairly full agendas following the lengthy gap in meetings because of the elections. 


These are the questions and contributions I made.  


Environment Committee
Item 4 Dawson Park Environmental Improvements
"Convener, I welcome the important improvements to Dawson Park detailed in this report. By erecting a fence to curb indiscriminate parking and vehicle turning at the Dunottar Place entrance, the grass will be protected. The extension of the existing network of paths to connect to the play area should help adults and children by improving the underfoot conditions.
It is also positive to see the recycling of building materials. I think this is the second example of fencing being recycled and reused in Dawson Park."


Policy and Resources Committee
Item 8 Supply of IT Equipment
"Convener this is an interesting report in that it details the spend on a range of IT equipment clarifying the types of equipment in which we have invested. It is remarkable in three ways: 

• £696,000, has been spent over a fifteen week period on computers, net books, whiteboards and the majority of the expenditure has been in our schools;
• I am reassured that a national portal for procurement has been used. 
• What however is remarkable in a negative way is the absence of any data on output and outcome measures. How many computers have been purchased for example? What are the anticipated outcomes of their deployment and installation in our schools and other services?

I think that we need and deserve a more detailed report in future when we are investing such a considerable amount of money year on year."


Policy and Resources Committee 
Item 11 Dundee Strategy for the Safe Use of Electronic Communications
"Convener, I welcome this report and the care it demonstrates in promoting the safe use of electronic communications, especially though not exclusively with children in our schools. 
There are many potential dangers which have arisen with the new media which the report refers to. For example, providing new opportunities to bully, swindle, embarrass, steal identities and groom victims. I do think it is right that that we should warn parents, carers, children and young people and vulnerable adults and the staff that work with them about the potential dangers. I do however think we need more emphasis in our schools and and homes on developing discriminating users of electronic media. I think this is potentially embraced in the four capacities at the heart of the Curriculum for Excellence - our aspiration that all our young people should become:

• successful learners,
• confident individuals,
• responsible individuals and
• responsible individuals."