A garden waste collection scheme which has been in the works for a year has been put on hold for another 12 months due to the cost of living crisis.
Zero Waste Scotland has agreed to grant Dumfries and Galloway Council £1.43m of capital funding to get the garden waste wheelie bin scheme up and running, however introducing the project is now considered a risky financial move for the local authority.
Council bosses had proposed charging residents who wish to use the garden waste service £45 per year to cover ongoing annual costs, however it is feared that there may not be enough interest as householders tighten the purse strings in these tough economic times.
Shaun Morley, the council’s head of waste management services, explained that a public survey which was sent to over 4,000 people in the region showed that a high number of people wanted a waste collection service. In this survey, half of the people said they would be willing to pay a charge but would prefer if it was free.
Speaking at the council’s communities committee last week, Mr Morley said: “Since that survey was done there has been a significant change with the cost of living crisis and what people are now able to afford.
“At this point in time it is considered a high risk to the council that we wouldn’t get the number of applications required to provide a fully-funded service.
“If and when we go forward it will be necessary to do the survey again.”
Annandale East and Eskdale Councillor Archie Dryburgh, chairman of the communities committee, said: “There will be a cost to the council if nobody opts in.
“Therefore there will be a revenue requirement to get a payment in from service users to make it cost neutral for the council.
“With the cost of living crisis we don’t know where we are in Dumfries and Galloway with the amount of people that would want to participate in this garden waste scheme.
“I think it’s right that we hold off at the moment just to see how people are moving forward with their own finances.”
Councillors agreed to accept the £1.43m in funding from Zero Waste Scotland, however the garden waste scheme will be delayed until the 2023/24 financial year so that more investigations can be done on whether or not it will be viable.
It was confirmed that Zero Waste Scotland will allow this money to be carried forward until next year, and the council can return the funding next year if the scheme doesn’t go ahead due to a lack of people willing to pay the £45 charge.
