City centre traders call for bin store alternative
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HIGHLAND Council has come under renewed criticism over its policy forcing city centre traders to keep their bins indoors outwith collection time.
The local authority recently came under pressure to give exemptions to pubs with nowhere to store bottle bins.
Now traders are slamming officers for failing to "think ahead".
Robert Yorston, manager of R&B’s at 73 Queensgate, said the council should have ensured all businesses had somewhere to put their bins before rolling out the scheme – and threatening to fine rule breakers.
He said: "When they did street-scape works where was the intelligent person in the local authority who worked out that it would be a good idea to actually just build in a communal bin storage?"
His view was echoed by Charlie Barbour, owner of The White House in Union Street, who also supports the idea of a communal bin storage being supplied by the council.
Mr Barbour said: "In general, my view is that it was long overdue getting the bins off the streets and it probably will make a positive difference.
"But I do think it was a bit ill-thought out by the council for not putting in alternative arrangements for some businesses before implementing the policy."
A council spokeswoman said the new policy had a lead-in of nearly six months with traders given "significant assistance" to adjust.
She said councillors on the Inverness city committee "wished the policy implemented before the main tourist season started".
She added: "Ultimately the waste is the responsibility of the business who generates the waste and not the council.
"Should businesses wish to set up communal bin stores between themselves and manage their responsibility then the Environmental Health Service would have no issue with them doing that."
Pubs struggling to comply with the new policy include MacCallums Bar and Gunsmiths on Union Street.
Mike Smith, manager of Inverness Business Improvement District said he expected the council would give those kinds of businesses a reprieve.
