Waste disposal costs increase by £90,000

A performance update on Orkney Islands Council’s weekly waste collection service, which came before the authorities Development and Infrastructure Committee this week, has shown the costs of using waste disposal services has increased by £90,000 this year and is set to cost substantially more in the future.

However the report also showed that the majority of residents who responded to a consultation on the service were happy with it and the committee lauded the public in their adoption of the service.

Committee members heard at the meeting, which took place yesterday afternoon that, the results from a consultation on the service, carried out in March this year, showed that 74.6, of respondents rated the service positively.

However a rise in the costs associated with having Orkney’s waste incinerated in Shetland increased by a further £90,000 since December last year. The amount of money spent by Orkney Islands Council this year now stands at £497, 598, for disposing waste from 10,816 homes, which is arise from the 2013 to 2014 figure of £388,281 from 10,717 homes. The report states that a 23 per cent rise in “gate fees” has resulted in the increased cost.

It is also stated in the report that a budget increase of £236,000 has been approved for 2016 and 2017 to accommodate for the future roll-out of the service and further cost increases in using the waste disposal facilities in Shetland.