WEST FIFE residents have condemned the mess and fly tipping left at various recycling points in the area over the Christmas and New Year period. 

But others have blamed Fife Council saying the local authority should be better prepared to deal with the increase in waste and recycling at this time of year. 

With overflowing bins and piles of rubbish bags and cardboard left at the Asda Halbeath recycling point in Dunfermline, and others throughout the area, we asked our readers what they thought of the mess. 

Opinions were divided with some believing that those who left the rubbish there are guilty of fly-tipping and should have disposed of their waste more responsibly, while other point the finger of blame elsewhere. 

Those appalled by the mess included one reader who said: "We went to the recycling centre between Christmas and New Year, why couldn't these people have done the same? Pure laziness!"

Another commented: "People are disgusting. Why would you just keep on piling rubbish on top of rubbish? Keep it at home and take it to the tip yourselves, easy."

And another added: "Disgusting behaviour. I black bag all mine and store it in the bin until the skips open, there’s no need for this whatsoever so I agree, CCTV and catch them!"

A further comment read: "I'd hate to have the job of the people who work at the recycling points at any time, some people lack common sense!"

There was also criticism of people failing to make best use of the recycling points, as the following comments indicate: "If some folk would actually rip up their cardboard boxes they would be able to get more in the bins, it's just laziness with some folk and, outwith the commercialised holidays, I've seen things like buggies put in the plastic bins and lazy people putting plastic carrier bags in the cardboard bins too."

"They can't seem to understand the 'paper only' guidance on the bins. It's always those types of people who bring other people down with their idiocy."

"Stop blaming the council, these individuals who should use common sense, I've got my recycling still in my home because I know what this time of year is like. Just shows how our species in the big industries, in particular, are slowly killing our earth with garbage as well..."

Others, though, said the Council should compensate for the extra rubbish by organising extra collections in the lead up to the holidays or by placing extra bins and skips at the recycling points. 

One reader commented: "Fife Council know its going to happen, so why not put skips there over the festive period? What else are people to do when services are closed."

Another suggested: "This happens every year so we would be better reacting positively to it. If the council put a couple of the big containers there on Christmas Eve, people would fill them up and they would stop the mess of it just being piled up. A couple there and one at big Tesco at Duloch. Then when the council reopen, pick them up and it’s all sorted. What would we rather, people just dump their rubbish?"

Sandy Anderson, Fife Council's service manager for Waste Operations, said: "Unfortunately, we do occasionally see recycling centres and points being misused, especially at this time of year.

"However, reports of misuse this festive season are less than in previous years and I'd like to thank everyone who held on to their rubbish for an extra day or two to dispose of it responsibly. 

"I'm also grateful to our teams that have been working hard to continue servicing recycling points with the busy ones being prioritised. 

"Although recycling points and recycling centres are extremely busy during December, waste or recycling must not be left outwith the bins and it is illegal to dump rubbish at gates of recycling centres over public holiday festive closures.

"We take action as quickly as possible to keep sites clear and have a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to illegal dumping by trying to identify and fine those doing so."