Joint Council Leader: ‘East Dunbartonshire is ready to safely reopen recycling centres’

Joint leader of East Dunbartonshire Council, Councillor Andrew Polson, told the Herald he is “more than confident” the council are ready to reopen them safely.

The Herald understands the council have been preparing to reopen refuse facilities to the public with social distancing measures in place and that a briefing paper drawn up by Cosla - the body which represents Scottish councils - reveals plans are in place for all recycling centres to open by June 1 - if Holyrood gives the go ahead.

A virtual meeting of all Cosla leaders is expected to take place today (Friday).

Joint Council Leader of EDC, Councillor Andrew Polson (Conservative) says he wants the Scottish Government to open recycling centres as soon as possible.

The facilities were shut during the early days of lockdown in March.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said earlier this week refuse facilities were being looked at for a potential reopening but that no final decision had been made.

The Scottish Government added it was working closely with Cosla and local authorities on the issue.

Councillor Polson said: “I am more than confident our council are ready to reopen recycling centres and I believe we can do so safely.

“There is already huge pent-up demand from the public to be able to dispose of their rubbish at these centres. Councils need to be able to work towards a date for getting things started again.

“The Scottish Government needs to give the go ahead immediately or the health implications of fly-tipping will just get worse.”

In this week’s Herald, Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer said East Dunbartonshire’s recycling centres must be reopened as safely as possible, as long as workers had the confidence in their work environment.

Responding to concerns highlighted by the Herald recently around a huge increase in fly tipping. Ross Greer said: “The Scottish Government has committed to issuing guidance to local councils. It must do so urgently to ensure that East Dunbartonshire’s recycling centres can be opened as safely as possible.

“There’s been a huge increase in fly tipping in recent weeks and reopening these centres should help to reduce this problem. Larger items like furniture and electrical goods can’t be recycled through council bin collections, so it’s important people are patient. It’s easier to have patience when you have an idea of how long you’ll be waiting for recycling centres to reopen though.

“There’ll likely be a huge rush to these centres as lockdown is eased and it’s vital this is managed safely.

“The council will also need to speak to the trade unions ahead of any reopening. Workers must have confidence that their work environment will be safe.”