Fife Council management is recommending that councillors agree to retain the advance booking system at its 11 recycling sites which was introduced last year to comply with Covid restrictions imposed by the Scottish Government.

The lifting of Covid restrictions means that for some considerable time Fife recycling centres have been free to suspend their booking system and revert to the old drop in system – this has happened in a number of local authorities including Perth & Kinross.
 
A report, which will be discussed by councillors at the Environment & Protective Services Sub-Committee on 24 June, is extremely positive about the advance booking system. The report can be accessed here: https://www.fife.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0030/237918/Agenda-and-Papers-for-Meeting-of-Environment-and-Protective-Services-Sub-Committee-of-24-June-2021.pdf.

The most telling argument for retaining the booking system is in its last sentence: “The current financial benefit from the system is estimated at being between £0.8m and £1.5 m”.
 
The report makes great play of the fact that a survey of 3287 residents using the recycling sites in April 2021 showed 54% preferred the booking system over the previous drop-in system. The report also lists eight so-called improvements the booking system has supposedly created for the “customer experience”.
 
Fife Council's view of the booking system is completely at odds with the experience of people in the East Neuk, as it has been related to me as their local councillor. I attend nine different community councils in my ward, and for months and months, every community council meeting has complained about the retention of the booking system at the recycling site at Pittenweem. It presents particular problems for the many overnight visitors and holiday home residents in the East Neuk. As a result, recycling points and public litter bins are being used much more, often to the point of overflowing, and fly-tipping has also increased.
 
East Neukers have been repeatedly told by the Convenor of the Environment Committee that they are the exception, that the rest of Fife prefers the booking system to the old drop-in system.
 
The purpose of this petition is to gauge whether a significant number of Fifers want the booking system dropped. Recycling sites are a public service paid for by tax-payers and run for the benefit of the public, not for the benefit of its staff or managers, or a service which sees an easy way to make a cash saving.
 
If you want to be able to drop off your rubbish at a recycling centre without booking in advance, please let your elected representatives know by signing this petition. Otherwise they are liable to agree with Fife Council management and retain the booking system indefinitely.