East Lothian Courier | News | Hotel bins council rubbish collections

Friday, 16th May, 2008

Published: Thursday, 1st May, 2008 08:05

Hotel bins council rubbish collections — saving almost £900

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A HADDINGTON hotelier hit with a 45 per cent increase in his commercial waste collection fees has binned his contract with East Lothian Council in favour of a cheaper private alternative.

Nico de Freitas, owner of the four-star, 25-bedroom Maitlandfield House Hotel, has described the council price hike as “outrageous” and has urged other businesses to shop around before committing to the local authority’s service.

The council insisted it had little option but to increase its commercial waste collection tariffs as it faced an estimated £734,700 in financial penalties under EU legislation governing the amount of refuse sent to landfill.

Last year, Mr De Freitas paid the council £1,900 for twiceweekly waste collections of two giant 1,100 litre capacity bins – each three times the size of standard domestic wheelie bins.

But the Haddington and District Community Council member was stunned to receive a demand for £2,755 for the same service for 2008/09.

“It’s outrageous,” he fumed. “I have received annual rises in waste collection costs before, but nothing as big as this.

“The difference between last year’s and this year’s demand is enough to keep a member of my staff in full-time employment for a month. I pay £25,000 a year in council tax and this is how I get treated?

‘Difficult life’

“I am a businessman who is trying to improve the local economy by attracting visitors to stay in Haddington. So what the hell is going on and why is the council trying to make my life even more difficult?”

Mr De Freitas has reacted to his latest waste bill by signing a 12-month contract with a private waste collection company in Edinburgh, paying just £1,950 for the year.

“I would urge all businesses to compare the council’s prices with those of the private sector before committing themselves,” added Mr De Freitas, a former vice-chair of East Lothian Tourist Forum.

A council spokesman admitted that private contractors were cheaper because they do not have the added financial burden of the Landfill Allowance Scheme (Scotland) Regulations 2005 (LATS).

This allocates the amount of biodegradable waste that a local authority can send to landfill.

For 2008/09, East Lothian’s allowance is 24,802 tonnes and the estimated amount the council will send to landfill is 29,300 – a difference of 4,898 tonnes to be penalised at a rate of £150 per tonne.

Said the spokesman: “The estimated LATS penalties for trade/commercial premises account for 11 per cent of the trade/commercial waste charge and as the council cannot pass any trade/commercial costs to the council tax payer, the trade waste charges have to reflect this.

“Also, the estimated cost of collection and administration has risen by 6.7 per cent, with the combined disposal and landfill tax cost element rising by just over 36.5 per cent, with landfill costs rising from £8 to £32 per tonne.

“In addition, overall inflation rate costs have increased by 3.5 per cent.”

The cost of commercial waste collection is based on the number and size of containers and the frequency of collection.

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