Trouble at the tips: Complaints pile up for Falkirk Council's new recycling centre booking system

The decision to make the changes at Kinneil Kerse, near Grangemouth, and Roughmute, near Bonnybridge, was taken by councillors at the end of last year and came into force on Monday, April 3.

The cost cutting exercise means both centres now open from 10am and users now have to book a time to visit in advance. The council stated the introduction of

the booking system will mean safer and quicker visits for local people and fewer, and shorter, queues.

So far things have not worked out so well – especially for Roughmute – with queues of traffic reported on several occasions.

One user, referring to Roughmute, stated: “I’ve never seen it as bad – it’s shocking. I’ve been waiting 30 minutes already and I’m not even in the gate yet. Shambolic.”

People have also been having trouble accessing the website to book their slot.

One stated: “This is the first week of the new Falkirk Council appointment system and what a shambles it is. We had a slot for 10am this morning and it seems so does

everyone in Falkirk Council.

"This is supposed to make things easy and seamless for both staff and customers. We were at least an hour at Roughmute, it’s chaos there, just like it was during the pandemic.”

A Grangemouth resident, and regular user of Kinneil recycling centre, said: “The system was working fine at Kinneil, so why did they have to mess with it. If Falkirk

Council was run half as well as the team at Kinneil run the recycling centre it wouldn’t be in the financial trouble it’s in now.”

The introduction of a booking system – which has already been implemented by other Scottish local authorities – aims to cut costs by preventing unauthorised

commercial use and people from other council areas using the Falkirk sites. A saving is expected thanks to less unauthorised waste going to landfill.

Explaining the need for the change, Councillor Iain Sinclair, Falkirk Council’s portfolio holder for climate, said: “Our recycling centres are being used by commercial

users and people who live in other local authority areas. That creates a cost for us, makes for longer queues and means sites can become full very quickly.

“But our new booking system will help to alleviate those pressures while helping us to run a more efficient service. The waste team works hard to provide a quality service to the people of Falkirk, and I’m sure our new booking system will enhance that.”

Roughmute is now open 10am to 6pm from Thursday to Monday and closed Tuesday and Wednesday, while Kinneil is open 10am to 6pm from Saturday to Wednesday and closed Thursday and Friday.

Falkirk district residents can reserve a slot to visit the sites through My Falkirk website using their vehicle registration number. Those with limited access to the Internet

can book by calling 01324 506070.

Users will be asked to confirm the type of waste they are bringing and will require ID to get into the recycling centre.