Fife Council says Duloch residents are rubbish at recycling

Ross Johnston, 24, of Bittern Court, said rubbish from his block of flats has not been collected in more than two weeks even though he has complained to the local authority countless times.

But the authority blamed residents for the unsightly mess in Duloch, stating they were repeatedly contaminating recycling with household waste and their option to recycle had been taken away.

Mr Johnston told the Press: “I’ve had enough.

“We’ve been having problems for a couple of months now but it just seems to be getting worse.

“Me and my partner’s flat is positioned right beside the bins so we’re having to keep the windows and balcony door closed because of the number of flies coming in.

“It might be stupid with how warm the weather is but it’s absolutely disgusting.

“Seagulls are attacking you when you go to the bins and they’re just splitting open waste bags that have just been left there because there is nowhere else to put them.

“When the council have emptied the bins they’re just full again pretty much the next day.

“The smell is just awful.”

Families in other parts of West Fife have also complained about problems with bin collections in recent weeks to the Press. Fife Council confirmed that a number of their vehicles had been out of action which is causing delays.

Sandy Anderson, waste team manager, said: “Unfortunately, the situation at Bittern Court has arisen because residents are repeatedly contaminating the paper and cardboard recycling bin with household waste.

“This bin has been emptied a number of times to give residents a chance to recycle properly but the issue keeps recurring.

“We will visit the site again tomorrow (Wednesday), clear up excess waste and remove the contaminated paper bin.

“This will be replaced by an additional landfill bin to help the residents here manage their waste more efficiently. Due to the levels of contamination we will no longer be able to offer the residents here recycling.”