Stirling Council’s waste service is running the most expensive bin collection in Scotland.
Tory opposition councillors have cited figures showing that the cost per household to collect household waste is almost double the Scottish average.
The costs of the service in all 32 Scottish councils is collected by the Improvement Service and released annually as part of the Local Government Benchmarking Framework Report that compares performance and costs for a range of services at all Scottish local authorities.
The Tories say the latest figures show it cost £137.56 per property to collect household waste in 2020/21 in the Stirling Council area, while the average cost across all 32 councils is nearly half that at £72.35.
A Stirling Conservative group spokesperson said: “Highland Council, over ten times the size of Stirling council area, covering one third of Scotland’s land area, manage to run two-weekly collections and do it for £83.66 per property.
“Stirling Council’s costs have risen from the £130.62 last year and remain by far the highest in Scotland.”
Stirling’s Conservative councillors have been campaigning to have the move from fortnightly to four-weekly grey and blue bin collections stopped ever since the council’s SNP/Labour administration approved them last year.
Despite an initial 6000 signature petition and a further petition of around 4000 names, special votes being called and an unsuccessful motion of no confidence lodged in the administration, the changes were introduced last September.
Of the 32 Scottish councils, 20 operate a two weekly service, two a weekly one and nine collect every three weeks.
The Tories claim the only other council in Scotland to operate four-weekly collections, Falkirk, has seen their recycling rates fall and fly tipping reports increase by nearly 500.
And they say that, despite cuts to services and the imposition of a £35 charge to have garden waste collected, the costs in Stirling are set to rise by £1 million in the next five years according to the council’s own official figures.
They add that figures produced as part of this year’s budget report, and agreed by the SNP/Labour Administration at the budget meeting on March 3 this year, show costs rising from £8.806 million this year to 9.802 million in 2026/27.
Tory group leader Neil Benny said: “Not only has the SNP managed to create the worst bin collection service in the country, they have made it the most expensive as well.
“Their appalling mismanagement of this crucial service is a scandal. There are people struggling to cope with monthly collections, missed collections everywhere, Others are struggling to pay the SNP’s £35 tax to get lawn mowings collected and lots of extra trips to the tip are needed. What service they do get is costing a fortune to run.”
However, Stirling SNP environment spokesperson Jim Thomson said the Tory comments “reeked of desperation”.
He added: “They dont even understand the very basics of finance. The so-called £1million rise in cost over five years is due entirely to inflation, based on an estimated three per cent per annum. As we know inflation is currently six per cent and rising.
“Has the council the most expensive bin collection service in Scotland? Yes - and regrettably it has been for two decades.
“The Tories seem to forget they were in power between 2012 to 2017. They claimed they would cut costs by £800,000 - instead it was costing £650,000 more by the end of 2018.
“The SNP led administration had to step in to sort out the mess left by the previous Tory administration.
“Is the new collection system working - well yes. Thanks to our residents, we are on target to save almost £1 million annually on landfill tax alone.
“Residents are well aware of the need to recycle. Every tonne diverted from landfill helps save our planet. Most families are taking greater care of how they dispose of their waste.
“I’ve asked before so I will ask again of the Tory environment spokesperson - what will the Tories do that is different and still meets our zero waste targets? They never answer.”
