FURIOUS West End residents have called for an end to their “punishment” after recycling bins were removed from the streets.
Those living in flats surrounding Great Western Road are reliant on large blue bins dotted around the Woodlands Drive area to keep up with their recycling needs.
However, residents say they’ve been left “heartbroken” and “angry” after being left with no option but to throw recyclables away with general waste after the garbage can at the junction of the two streets was removed without notice several weeks ago.
Tenants and homeowners were informed the removal was due to “improper use” with non-recyclable material being dumped – which has been branded an “entirely unfair” decision.
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Neil Walters, who lives in the nearby Holyrood Crescent, said: “It’s just preposterous. It makes no sense.
“We’re trying our best to recycle and do what we can for the environment but, without a bin, what options do we have?
“There are other bins dotted around the place but they’re not all handy and, to be honest, some of them have been doing disappearing acts as well at times. We can’t wander around with rubbish for as long as it takes to find one.”
This isn’t the first time the item was removed with the local authority lifting the bin around Christmas time last year.
Residents claim the council said it would evaluate nearby homes for blue bins within their back courts, however, the evaluation never went ahead.
Many tenants took matters into their own hands and spoke with their factors or housing association to have the recycling bins fitted in their back courts to resolve the issue.
Artist Riel Noir said she often watched for the binmen empty the material before heading out to make her drop.
After the bin was removed again earlier this summer, she attempted to find one of the other options which were scattered along the busy road towards George’s Cross but was upset to find they had all vanished.
She said: “It’s just not acceptable. I believe recycling is really important and we’ve got COP26 coming up.
“I’ve seen incidents where people, perhaps, fill it up too much or put a carrier bag in and it annoys me as well, but it feels like we’re being punished.
“Surely if this is an issue, we need to look at education or find a way to sort the recycling.”
She added: “With COP26 being held in Glasgow, it’s just appalling.
“I held on [to my recycling] as long as I could but it would have become a fire hazard.
“We’re depending more and more on online deliveries and it’s awful to get rid of the packaging. It really breaks my heart to put things into the bin that can be recycled.”
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It’s believed passers-by are partly to blame for the misuse of the bin, however, residents insist removing the trash cans is not the way forward.
A spokesperson for the council said: “The public recycling point at this corner was regularly contaminated with general waste while also attracting fly-tipping.
“Removing the bins at this location has therefore helped with the general upkeep and maintenance of the footpaths.
“If recyclable material becomes contaminated with general waste it risks being rejected by waste processors, which leads to a poorer return for the city both environmentally and financially.
“The Woodlands area was included in the recent bin replacement programme, which removed small, old-fashioned metal bins from back courts and increased the capacity for residents to recycle at home.
“But we are happy to work with residents in the neighbourhood to establish which households require further recycling capacity and provide additional bins as appropriate.
“Recycling bins can be ordered free of charge from the council website, which also includes information on to recycle effectively.”
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