The July updates from Trading Standards.
Bin Blether
How typical are Aberdeenshire’s kerbside collections?
When putting out information about our bins and recycling strategy, I get a lot of comments along the lines of ‘everyone else does (this), why can’t we?’ So, I went looking for information on what everyone else actually does.
Firstly, there are 32 different councils in Scotland – from islands to cities to the massive area of the Highlands. I therefore looked at size and population to select the councils to compare Aberdeenshire against, ending up with the six councils with the most similar population density (three above, three below) to ours.
All six councils have different systems to each other, and to Aberdeenshire.
| Council | Number of bins | Glass collected? | Garden waste? | Recycling rate (2020) |
| Aberdeenshire (future system) | 3 | No | No (subject to review) | 40.8% |
| Angus | 3 | Yes, in mixed recycling bin | Yes | 57.9% |
| Dumfries & Galloway | 3 | No | No | 30.1% |
| Moray | 4 | Yes, in separate box | Yes, fee applies* | 54.9% |
| Perth & Kinross | 3 | No | Yes* | 49.4% |
| Borders | 2 | No | No | 52.8% |
| Stirling | 4 | Yes, in separate box | Yes, fee applies* | 47.8% |
Collection schedules differed substantially. The Borders have the same system we currently have, with fortnightly collections of bins and weekly collections of the food waste caddy. Stirling collects each type of bin every four weeks, bar the combined food and garden waste which is every two weeks. The longest gap for collection of food waste is in Moray (combined with garden waste), every three weeks. For Moray and Stirling, the same bin is provided whether you use it for garden waste or not. If you do put garden waste in, then it will only be collected if you have paid the yearly fee (£40/£35).
Going from two to three bins and from fortnightly to three weekly collections might seem like a radical idea, but when you look at similar councils, it’s actually unremarkable.
Remember, the rollout of the new system will happen in stages throughout 2023. Properties that do not have space for a third bin can request alternative arrangements. Food waste will still be collected every week.
Area Profile 2022
Aberdeenshire Council have just published their area and major town profiles for 2022. I find myself confused by the number of ‘house completions’ in Portlethen being so low, but perhaps Hillside is not counted as Portlethen? I will ask.
Bees & more
Email newsletter sent out 24-06-22 Local news round-up (mailchi.mp)
North Kincardine Rural Community Council
On Monday 20th June I attended the AGM and regular monthly meeting of the NKRCC, in person (Corbie Hall) for the first time since the pandemic started. They have a very comprehensive website NKRCC – North Kincardine Rural Community Council with information, past minutes and police reports.
Slow progress still on the broadband rollout. You can find out information on this here
War memorials – a work party will be organised after the summer to clean them up. The Cookney one needs some minor repairs.
The Cookney Cuppa – part of the Jubilee celebrations – raised around £120 for charity.
South Deeside View – the biannual community magazine hasn’t been printed for a couple of years now. A new team is needed to learn the ropes from the previous editor. The network of distributers and deliverers needs to be reactivated.
Chapelton solar panels – permission for all south facing solar panels (visible from the A92) have been rejected by the developers. There was general consternation that a minority and outdated view that solar panels ‘spoil’ the aesthetic of the new town was preventing householders from opting for an eco-friendly electricity source. “When does a community become a community, not just a vision of the developer?”
Blairs development – footbridge to the north side of the river still not being progressed. A condition of planning for the new houses was a footbridge over the river. There has been no response from the developers to residents to enquiries about the timetable for getting this built. The CC will write to both the planning department and Muirs for more information, and to request a public meeting on this issue.
Deer poaching – two separate incidents have come to the attention of the CC, one of which was reported to the police.
Plant sale – the annual plant sale will restart in spring 2023. Start thinking now about splitting your plants in preparation!
Hillside Footpath closure – extension
Due to the continuing water works up by the A92, the path up from Cookston Road on the west side of the underpass will remain closed for a while longer.
Trading Standards Bulletin 48
The latest on doorstep, email and telephone scams, including bogus council workers claiming to have leftover tarmac for sale.
Newtonhill, Muchalls & Cammachmore CC
On Wednesday 15th June NMCCC had their AGM and usual monthly meeting. I arrived late, so didn’t get the police report (it tends to be the same report for all the area CCs, so I will hear it on Monday at the Rural meeting).
There was talk of a possible change in supplier of the entrance stones to a local company that uses Scottish, not Indian, stones.
Lots of discussion around local empowerment – or rather, the lack of it. There was a general feeling of dissatisfaction with both Edinburgh and Aberdeenshire Council. Concerns raised about the link road on the Barratts estate still being blocked, the lack of insulation going into new build houses, lack of librarians (Portlethen library has to close to allow Newtonhill to open), travel difficulties for those relying on public transport to get to the vaccination centre in Stonehaven, and poor communication/unsatisfactory responses from the roads department.
On the brighter side, the plan for the Newtonhill underpass is going well. The lead engineer has been identified and just needs to finish up her current project in Stonehaven. A suitable grant scheme that opens in around eight weeks time has been found. All the owners of the surrounding land have already been identified as part of the the works needed for the Chapelton development, which really helps the council’s new team for these kind of projects.
It appears that the school bus from Chapelton to Newtonhill Primary will be discontinued, without any consultation with parents taking place. Although Chapelton is not in the NMCCC area, Newtonhill Primary will be affected as an estimated 25 extra cars might need to do the school drop-off/pick-up if the bus is stopped. It was not felt that the route to walk – although under two miles – was safe enough for primary aged children to do by themselves. Suggestions of a commercial bus, e.g the 7B, scheduling an appropriate time on their existing route. As all under 22s are now eligible for free bus travel, this might be a viable alternative.
Advertising attached to ‘street furniture’ (lampposts) was raised. I will enquire whether this is now allowed, and if not, if anyone – or just council officers – can remove them.
No waiting – Skateraw Fair, 25th June
Fair week in Newtonhill is just about to begin, culminating in the Skateraw Fair at the Bettridge Centre next Saturday. Please be mindful of where you can park on this day.
Waste Management Working Group – update
Bin exchange Aug 22 – early 2023
‘Diamond’ bins need to be replaced. We are the only area in Scotland still using these, so they need to be swapped out for the kind everyone else uses, that way south Aberdeenshire doesn’t need its own fleet of bin lorries that can’t be used elsewhere. These bins are coming to the end of their projected 15 year lifespan anyway.
This process will be slow, so it’s starting in the rural areas at the end of August, gradually making its way to the coastal urban areas. This is to take advantage of decent weather in the harder-to-reach routes.
Old bins will be shredded and recycled into new bins.
There will be plenty of advertising in the run up to the bin swap, including letters sent to residents two weeks beforehand. The company replacing the bins will be working in tandem with the regular bin lorry and crew, following directly behind them on their route. Your current bin will be emptied, then immediately replaced. It is very important that your bin is left out on these replacement days, even if it’s empty. Workers will be actively looking for bins, but obviously problems will be caused if they cannot locate and replace your bin on the day.
Bins will be replaced on their normal collection days, so you will have two consecutive weeks when you’ll need to put the appropriate bin out so that it can be replaced with the new style. THIS IS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE 3 WEEKLY COLLECTIONS. This is a separate project, purely concerned with swapping out your current black and blue-lidded bins. I don’t have any information yet on when the orange-lidded bins will arrive.
3 WEEKLY COLLECTIONS: you can find the latest press release here: Aberdeenshire Council progresses Spring 2023 launch of enhanced household recycling service – Aberdeenshire Council As you can see, there will be no changes in our area until sometime in 2023. I’ll share more information nearer the time.
Rollout March to November 2023
Finally, a few notes on other items discussed.
- The Ness energy project is progressing well. This is a joint project with Aberdeen City and Moray.
- The deposit return scheme (for glass bottles) is now due to begin in August 2023. After this time, there will be a review of which glass recycling facilities are still needed. https://depositreturnscheme.zerowastescotland.org.uk/
- Tyres are now accepted at the waste transfer station in MacDuff. They will soon (no date provided) be accepted at the stations in Ellon and Banchory.
- Hybrid system for recycling centres will be trialled, after consultation with Area Committees.