A CONTROVERSIAL reduced bin collection being rolled out across Glasgow is working well, the SNP has insisted.

Despite fierce criticism from the GMB union, Glasgow City Council maintains there is "early evidence" to suggest the new three-weekly refuse collections is performing as officers hoped.

As previously reported, main door properties in the north east of the city had green bin pickups reduced from every fortnight in October.

The move, which will be rolled out across the city in the next few months, was part of a bid by the local authority to encourage a rise in recycling efforts - an area in which Glasgow is currently trailing behind other Scottish cities.

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Councillor Anna Richardson, city convener for sustainability and carbon reduction, said: “The early evidence tells us that three-weekly kerbside collections for general waste are working as we hoped they would. That is good for both the environment and the city’s finances.

“There is already less waste going into general bins and greater use made of the recycling bins.

“At the same time as the amount of food waste being recovered has gone up significantly, we are also seeing more dry recyclables like plastic bottles and tin cans in blue bins."

The collection changes only occur to green bins.

Blue and brown crates continue to be picked up every two weeks, while purple bins - which are used for glass collection - are lifted every eight weeks.

However, as previously reported, the move has been met with anger from residents who claims bins are being left to overflow.

Branch 40 of the GMB union launched its Streets of Shame campaign in response to the rollout which, it claimed, was partly responsible for turning the city’s streets into a "warzone" filled with litter which was contributing to problems with vermin.

Meanwhile, residents in Robroyston - which is part of the initial pilot area - experienced teething problems when the project begun last year.

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The new calendar illustrating collection dates for the change was branded "confusing" as it appeared to show it would be four weeks before the green bin was picked up during the first transitional month.

Speaking at the time, a spokesman for the council said residents should follow their previous bin schedule while additional resources were brought in to ensure a smooth change over to the three-week collections.

Cllr Richardson added: “Just as important, there has also been a reduction in the amount of recyclables being rejected for reprocessing.

“That suggests that people in north east Glasgow are thinking more about recycling and how they dispose of their waste.

“This is giving us confidence that when we roll-out the changes to kerbside collections across the city we know that the system will work in Glasgow as it has for other local authorities.”