CONTROVERSIAL changes to the way waste is collected from homes throughout East Lothian will come into force next week.

The household waste (green bin) collection service will change from a two-weekly to a three-weekly service from Monday.

At the same time, applications for householders to apply for a permit for a fortnightly collection of garden waste will open.

The optional £35 charge will be introduced for the brown bin collection service, with the new service starting at the beginning of July.

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The change to the green waste collection schedule “reflects the focus on increased recycling of household waste through the weekly recycling scheme that will continue to operate throughout the county”.

However, concerns have been raised that the changes will result in an increase in fly-tipping and comes at the same time as East Lothian has only three open recycling centres – North Berwick, Dunbar and Kinwegar, at Wallyford.

Schedules for bin collections over the next financial year have been delivered to households throughout the county.

Recycling continues to increase...

Councillor Norman Hampshire, leader of East Lothian Council, told the Courier that the changes were approved in last year’s budget proposals.

He said: “East Lothian Council provides a weekly household recycling collection service for a wide range of materials including glass, plastics, paper, cardboard and food waste, and we became signatories to the Scottish Government’s Household Waste Charter in December 2016.

“As part of our commitment, we have already introduced a charter-aligned single-weekly service for source-separated recycling and food waste.

“The next stage in the journey is to implement the charter’s recommendations that a maximum capacity of 80 litres per week is provided for non-recyclable waste.

READ MORE:  East Lothian recycling rates among the best in Scotland

“The changes to the frequency of the non-recyclable waste collection service will fulfil this and enable us to make further progress towards the council plan’s aim to contribute to Scotland’s 70 per cent recycling target by 2025 and further support the ambitions of the council’s Climate Change Strategy

“The amount of waste East Lothian is now collecting for recycling continues to increase and has greatly reduced amount of waste sent for disposal.

“I would like to extend my thanks to our local residents for their significant use of recycling opportunities, which is one of the highest achieved in Scotland.”

Garden waste...

The £35 garden waste permit charge will cover from the beginning of July through to June 27 next year.

Registration is for the full 12 months and permits can be cancelled at any time throughout the year but no refunds will be given.

To apply for a permit, call 01875 824305 – there are no concessions - while a link will also be added to the council's recycling page on their website (www.eastlothian.gov.uk/recycling).

READ MORE: East Lothian Council brown bins: £35 annual charge confirmed

When someone registers, a permit sticker will be provided to place on a bin.

The sticker will show the address, the permit number for the registered property and the expiry date of the permit.

Collection crews will only empty brown bins with a valid sticker clearly displayed.

Not a statutory service...

Mr Hampshire, who represents the Dunbar and East Linton ward, noted that the collection of garden waste was not a statutory service.

Local authorities have “no obligation” to collect the waste.

The Labour councillor said: “I’m aware of some councils removing this collection completely and others running an optional paid service for a number of years.

“East Lothian Council has maintained a free service that is only used by around 50 per cent of households across the county but current financial pressures mean we have decided to introduce a paid scheme later this year.”