Fife Council has plans to end two controversial bin trials, but will introduce a monthly uplift of brown bins across the kingdom in winter.
The local authority approved what were initially year-long bin trials in Markinch and Coaltown of Balgonie and Thornton and Stenton nearly three years ago.
These both tested the more frequent uplift of recycling bins.
Meanwhile bins containing rubbish destined for landfill were emptied less often.
They also tested changing the frequency of brown bin – food and garden waste – which were collected only once a month from December to February.
It was widely believed the trials would be a pre-cursor to monthly bin collections being rolled out across Fife.
Trials are still running as a committee decision is awaited, although monitoring has been completed.
The study found that while recycling rates rose, the levels weren’t as high as those set out in the original business case. The same was true of the amount of rubbish consigned to tips.
Coupled with higher than predicted implementation and running costs, and the quality of the material being collected, neither resulted in the financial savings anticipated.
One trial generated no savings while the second did yield some financial benefits but it was estimated they would not be sufficient to pay back initial investment in under 30 years. Carbon savings were also small.
The trials also found that collecting brown bins every four weeks over the winter period did not have a negative impact on the amount of rubbish collected.
But the study showed that more than half of the contents of landfill bins still should be recycled, either via kerbside collections or at recycling centres.
The environment, protective services and community safety committee will hear that: “The results from the trials and the change in circumstances around national policy and markets since the trials started do no support the roll out of either trial Fife-wide”.
In light of “future challenges and uncertainties” facing Fife, members will hear it is more prudent to focus on a resource strategy which will arrive before the committee in March.
The committee is being asked to stop both trials and revert households back to a standard four-bin service and start four-weekly brown bin collections across Fife from December to February.
