Bulky uplift charges from April for East Lothian residents

East Lothian councillors are considering introducing a new charge for the free uplift service in their budget as they look to generate more revenue in the year ahead after suffering from the financial implications of Covid-19, as have other local authorities across Scotland.

The proposed charges come as a new report to council revealed that council workers were asked to collect items including a toaster and light bulbs by some householders under the specialist service – items which could have been taken to a recycling centre and did not require a bulky uplift.

The report revealed that some residents did not understand the items covered by the bulky uplift service, which had seen a huge rise in requests during the pandemic as recycling centres were either closed or restricted items they would accept.

The report said: “During the initial lockdown phase, waste services took over the booking of bulky waste collection requests, which highlighted that a number of the requests are being made for items that do not fall within the intended remit of the service.

“These requests can be for items as small as toasters and light bulbs, and emphasises the need for clearer guidance on the use of the service.”

The report to the council’s Members Library Service, says an updated list of items which could be collected under the service has been created and will go online with a digital booking system.

The bulky uplift service for households is meant to cover the collection of large and bulky household waste items, such as mattresses, furniture and large kitchen appliances that cannot be reused, are too big to fit into a wheelie bin and cannot be transported to a recycling centre.

The only items restricted under the old advisory sheets were listed as black bags, garden waste, paint, gas cylinders, car batteries, cooking oil and engine oil.

A draft budget due to be discussed by the council’s administration next week will include a new bulky uplift charge which will aim to raise £47,000 in its first year.

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