14% hike in garden waste collection charge not acceptable

I have criticised the proposal by the Dundee City Council administration to hike the Brown Bin charge to £40 a permit for the 2022 collection year and will be opposing the increase in the brown bin charge when it comes before the council’s Policy & Resources Committee next week.


The £5 increase represents a 14% hike – at a time when inflation is running at about 3%. It is completely unjustified and just a way of the council fleecing another £100 000 out of the Dundee public.

I have always opposed having a tax on recycling and felt that this would be a further disincentive to recycling. We should be encouraging more recycling not less and the garden tax increase will make matters worse. The council is trying to stop collecting side waste and increasing the brown bin tax will simply lead to more recycling going into grey bins, undermining their own side waste policy. This is not a good look. If anything, the brown bin charge should be reduced not increased.



Recycling company fined for poor health and safety management

A waste and recycling company has been fined after HSE inspectors discovered widespread poor management of health and safety risks at their site in West Drayton, London.

Westminster Magistrates Court heard that, on 21 March 2019, inspectors attended Iver Recycling (UK) Limited, Holloway Lane, West Drayton, to carry out a routine inspection, where they discovered widespread risk to employees and poor health and safety management of the site.

HSE revisited the site on 1 April 2019 with electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and civil engineering specialists to assess the site. In total, HSE issued nine Prohibition Notices and seven Improvement Notices. Conditions were so bad that an investigation was conducted to help understand the underlying causes of the conditions seen. The investigation concluded that a lack of competent advice, risk assessment and poor management had led to deterioration of conditions on site, despite previous enforcement being issued by HSE.

Iver Recycling (UK) Limited failed to appear at the hearing on 16 September 2021, and the case was heard in their absence. The court found that HSE’s case, a breach of Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 Section 2(1) had been proved. The company were issued with a £200,000 fine and order to pay cost of £7,125.72 and the victim surcharge of £170.

Following the hearing, HSE inspector Sarah Pearce said: “Companies should be aware that if they fail to operate their businesses in a manner which protects the health and safety of those who work there, HSE will pursue those responsible to the highest possible level. The conditions seen at this site should not occur in 21st-century Britain.”Poor welfare conditions at the site

Notes to Editors:

  1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. hse.gov.uk[1]
  2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: legislation.gov.uk/ [2]
  3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk[3


Sustainable Wardrobe Workshop

The Sustainable Wardrobe Workshop is a Gate Church Carbon Saving Project online event a week tomorrow – Saturday 24th April – at 11am.


The project team advise :

“Join us during Fashion Revolution Week to hear how you can make your wardrobe more sustainable and why this is so important, just as all the high street fast fashion brands are preparing to reopen.

We’ll be joined by Adele The Sustainable Stylist from House of Colour, who will be sharing her tips with us on how to thrift like a pro.

We’ll be sharing information about our Community Wardrobe and other useful local tips.

This will be an interactive session and we look forward to hearing your sustainable fashion tips.”

Furter information and how to take part is available here.


Riverside household waste recycling centre #dundeewestend


From the City Council :

“Please be aware that Riverside household waste recycling centre will be shut on Monday 8th and Tuesday 9th March for re-surfacing works to take place.”

Other recycling facilities elsewhere are unaffected and a full list is available here.



Recycling update at the Riverside Recycling Centre #dundeewestend


A number of residents have queried with me why currently you cannot recycle cardboard at the Riverside Recycling Centre.

I raised this with environment management at the City Council and the Assistant Waste Services Manager has advised :

“The current waste acceptance restrictions at the two recycling centres and the reasons for them are detailed here.

Due to the requirements for social distancing, both Riverside (two zones) and Baldovie (three zones) are running at significantly reduced capacity. 

As pretty much every resident has access to a paper/cardboard kerbside or communal bin, the decision was taken to should prioritise other waste commodities e.g. wood, waste electronic equipment etc. as we don’t have other locations where these waste types can be disposed of. 

There are various mini recycling centres across the city that accept paper/cardboard. Obviously when the pandemic is over, we will reinstate all services at both sites.”