THERE are concerns that tougher measures and increased charges at Fife Council’s recycling centres could lead to more fly-tipping by businesses. 

Getting rid of commercial waste, with some firms also dumping rubbish illegally at their sites, is costing the local authority more than £1.5 million a year. 

Councillors agreed changes on Thursday that would see the council fully recover the costs of disposing of trade waste in Fife.

Councillor Ross Vettraino, convener of the environment, protective services and community safety committee, said: “Accepting commercial waste at the council’s household waste recycling centres is currently costing the council taxpayers in Fife in excess of £1.5m per annum.

“Because of the costs of doing so, neighbouring local authorities, including Edinburgh and Dundee, no longer accept commercial waste, but I want Fife Council to continue to assist local businesses.

“If the service is to be continued, however, full costs must be recovered.”

He added: “By failing to recover full costs, the council is effectively subsidising some businesses and is distorting competition by enabling those businesses to lower their customer charges, compared with businesses that pay full commercial waste disposal costs.

“The charges that are being recommended to the committee are actual costs and do not include any element of profit. 

“It should also be noted that there are over a dozen private waste disposal companies operating in Fife so those who produce commercial waste can ‘shop around’.”

Businesses can dispose of commercial waste at nine of the council’s 11 household waste recycling centres by purchasing a recycling ticket from Fife Resource Solutions (FRS), who operate the centres for the council. 

However, some ticket-holders were dumping rubbish not covered by the ticket, such as landfill waste, while some commercial operators were leaving waste without even buying a ticket. 

Last October, the council approved measures costing £200,000, including barriers on sites and body cameras for staff, to catch the firms abusing the system.

They said it cost £1.96m to operate the commercial waste service but the sale of tickets generated just £94,000. 

Stricter measures on the recycling ticket, since April, have seen the number of ticket holders drop by 14 per cent with the tonnage of waste falling by 12 per cent, which suggests they’re dumping their waste elsewhere. 

Cllr Vettraino said: “I am also urging residents to help to tackle the blight of fly-tipping across Fife. 

“We are aware that there is an issue of unlicensed businesses offering low-cost services to dispose of rubbish, only to fly-tip it later. 

“We want everyone to think about how they dispose of rubbish and to always ask to see the waste carrier’s license if using a third party to collect waste.”

As part of the new controls, the council aims to introduce a cashless payment system that will enable customers to calculate the cost, based on vehicle/ trailer size, type of materials and volume, before they visit a recycling centre. 

If changes are approved by the committee today, they will come into force on January 1, 2019. 

As a result, seven of the centres, including Dalgety Bay, will operate a standard charge for accepting commercial waste, with a reduced rate for those who can make it to the Lochhead site, north of Dunfermline, as this “lowers the need for additional haulage”. 

There will also be no pedestrian access to sites, traffic control measures will be introduced, emptying wheelie bins at the centres will be banned and access restricted for those with double-axis trailers, unless paid for as part of commercial waste disposal. 
The current recycling ticket will continue until December.