On Monday morning 26 August 2013, Baldovie and Riverside Recycling Centres will be 'back to normal' accepting all kinds of waste for recycling. This follows a climb down by the SNP administration of the City Council who eventually bowed to public pressure on Monday past and reversed an unpopular and impractical decision.
In February the SNP administration reorganised the three major recycling centres at Riverside, Marchbanks and Baldovie as part of their budget cuts. Marchbanks was closed completely and garden waste was only to be accepted at the Riverside recycling depot and general waste was only to be accepted at Baldovie. This meant that many householders in The Ferry found they had a much longer drive to a recycling depot involving a cross city drive to Riverside Drive if dumping garden waste. Worse still was the prospect of having very lengthy round trips to deposit say garden waste at Riverside and then certain items of general waste at Baldovie. For householders this was an expensive and inconvenient decision and to be construed as "green", as the Council claimed, stretched credibility.
I was pleased to support the proposed change of heart on Monday night. I know many residents in Broughty Ferry will be relieved they can revert to depositing all their recycling, including garden waste, at Baldovie.
But what is convenient for constituents in The Ferry and folk in the West End does not address the issue of the complete closure of the Marchbanks Recycling Centre for those that live closer to that site. I am pleased that, after further pressure from opposition Councillors, a review of this decision is also to be undertaken.
