DUMBARTON NOTEBOOK: Residents concerned about the “nightmare” bin restructure launch a campaign urging the council to act

by BILL HEANEY

The bins … the bins … my seat on West Dunbartonshire Council for the bins.

That will be the response of our Labour and SNP councillors when they lose their seats in the Local Government election next May.

There is one thing in particular that will stop them from being rejected by the electorate.

And that is their refusal to scrap their stupid policy for the collection of household waste.

The schedule they have chosen for bin collections is yet another shambles.

Put it alongside what they have decided to do with the Home Care Service for elderly, disabled and vulnerable residents, and you have the makings of a catalogue of disasters that only West Dunbartonshire Council could visit upon us, poor council taxpayers.

Unsurprisingly, residents concerned about the “nightmare” bin restructure have launched a campaign urging the council to act — and act now.

One woman who contacted the local press described bins overflowing onto roads, pavements and areas where children play, as well as an “alarming rise in the presence of vermin”.

She called the environment “unhygienic” and “horrific”, which she says poses risks to quality of life, public health and the environment.

A reporter on the Clydebank Post says she has an exclusive story, which she claims comes after West Dunbartonshire Council changed the bin uplift schedule in November last year, from a two-week cycle to a three-week cycle.

But you and I know that complaints about this public service have been going on for years — and that I have been writing about this and other council failings frequently.

It’s what probably got me banned for being too strident in my criticism because the reason they eventually came up with for this was a lie.

I never interrupted a council meeting, which is what they claimed I did.

They are lying, and they have no evidence or documents to substantiate their claim that I did.

In other words, it is not in the council minutes, which the officers are told to record. They should be ashamed.

Back to the angry resident then. She says the current issues across the region are a direct result of this change to bin uplifts, and the campaign is calling for the fortnightly uplifts to be reinstated.

She told The Clydebank Post: “I have literally never seen anything like it. There are used feminine products on the ground, lying outside a bin. Things like that shouldn’t be on the ground are on the ground. There are seagulls pulling bags out of the bin and running down the road with them. It’s happening everywhere, no matter where you go. Enough is enough; something needs to change.”

She has a one-year-old daughter and fears for her health if she were to pick something up from the ground — “I’ve got a baby that uses nappies, and the weather recently has been lovely. But that has then caused things to be worse. We’ve now got maggots. The smell from the bin areas is absolutely diabolical. We’re having to take bin bags in the car and run them down to the dump. Then we’re finding that, when we turn up at the dump, people are being turned away because it’s full.

“So, it leaves us with absolutely nowhere to turn to put our waste.”

She explained that she now regularly has to pay a private company to collect excess waste. Speaking on the financial reality, she said: “It adds up, especially when it should be part of the council tax that we pay for. If we have any visitors coming, I’m absolutely mortified to bring them anywhere near us. There is just no pride in where we’re living at the moment because everywhere is just the same.”

The woman pointed out that the most alarming cases of waste issues are seen across flats and tenements that share communal bins, which are routinely beyond full capacity.

This issue has also been raised by Alexandria Community Council with residents echoing these concerns. Residents on social media have said: “Absolute disgrace I stay alone, and my bin is full after three weeks. I can’t imagine how families are coping. Everything is being cut back but council tax is still rising.”

Another council taxpayer added: “Making it a three-week pick up in the long run is going to cost the council so much more, with it causing mice and rats in people’s bins then ending up in houses and people fly tipping more.”

In response, Councillor David McBride, who appears like his colleagues of all political views and none to live on another planet, said: “Missed pull‑outs, confusion over routes, and delays in bin replacements were largely the result of the route changes being introduced at the same time as the move to the three‑weekly collection. That overlap created disruption, which understandably caused frustration for residents. As far as I understand, these operational issues have improved significantly since the rollout, and crews are now familiar with the new routes.”

He added: “It is also important to set out the wider context behind the change. The Scottish Government has set ambitious national targets to achieve zero waste to landfill, and all local authorities are required to contribute to waste‑reduction targets, deliver programmes that increase resilience, and operate more sustainably.”

He supplied The Clydebank Post with statistics from Greenspace which outline changes in waste disposal figures from January 2026 to June 2026.

It states that general black and grey bin waste sent to landfill or incineration was down by 15%, while blue-bin recycling waste was up by 19%.

He added: “This is clearly positive for both the environment and the Council’s finances.

“Every tonne diverted from landfill reduces disposal costs, and those savings can be redirected into other essential services.

“Food waste collections also remain fortnightly, which helps address concerns around hygiene and odour.

“Given the above, I wouldn’t support any reversal of the policy.”

So, Councillor McBride should get out more to take in the actuality, when he could soon find himself up to his knees in dirty nappies and witness rats scurrying around his feet. THIS IS WHAT WE PAY OUR COUNCIL TAX FOR?

No wonder the Scottish Labour Party is haemorrhaging members when Cllr McBride thinks he is doing the right thing by supporting SNP policy on the environment, which includes the bins … the bins … my seat for the bins … instead of speaking out loudly against the budget cuts which led to this happening, which he is being paid for. Given that he has no reasonable answers the public agrees to accept, perhaps he should resign?

The council refuses to speak to The Dumbarton Democrat. They claim to have difficulty responding to our intelligent lines of questioning and have banned us from speaking to them. They don’t answer our emails. They claim not to have enough staff, which is nonsense.