More than £45,000 was spent on ensuring a Fife recycling centre was safe to reopen.
The Cowdenbeath centre will open to the public on Tuesday, five months after Fife Council began reopening other sites across the region.
The layout there meant, without action, it would have been impossible to ensure social distancing in line with coronavirus restrictions.
A new road layout, bollards, barriers and a range of traffic calming measures have now been installed to keep people safe.
Drainage and electrical works have also been carried out, while the compactor has been moved and containers refurbished.
“What’s wrong with putting cones out?”
Conservative councillor Darren Watt.
Fife Council’s environment spokesman, SNP councillor Ross Vettraino, said the action had been “absolutely necessary” and praised staff for their efforts to keep essential services running.
However, Cowdenbeath Conservative councillor Darren Watt has questioned the cost of the work, claiming it was difficult to justify.
He said he was particularly baffled by the installation of around 40 yellow bollards outside the centre when traffic cones would have sufficed.
“I absolutely refute that this is unjustified.”
SNP councillor Ross Vettraino.
“The public is quite rightly asking what £45,000 has been spent on,” he said.
“I get that staff and public safety is absolutely paramount but the bollards are over the top. What’s wrong with putting cones out?
“Traffic isn’t even queuing outside the recycling centre just now anyway because there’s a booking system in place and people just turn up at an allotted time.”
Mr Vettraino said Mr Watt did not understand the situation.
“There was all sorts of work required and it was all absolutely necessary. Cars were queuing in the carriageway and I’m told there were several close shaves. We had to create a traffic management system to ensure that didn’t happen.”
Mr Vettraino said the work had included moving the height restricting barrier inside the centre so that if a van was refused access it would not have to turn round in the road.
“The only alternative would have been to let them dump their stuff. We also had to get new signage and move a few waste containers.
“I absolutely refute that this is unjustified – we had to spend the money if we were going to safely reopen the site.”
Fife’s 11 recycling centres closed in March. They began reopening in June, with Cowdenbeath the last to open its gates.
It will be open on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, while nearby Lochgelly recycling centre will be open on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
