FOI Request - Waste Management - Scotland
Request 101003950778
1. Policies and guidance on bins and obstructions
a) Please provide copies of any current policies, procedures, guidance, or staff instructions that relate to keeping pavements and footways clear on or around refuse and recycling collection days, including any specific instructions about the placement or return of wheelie bins and preventing obstructions.
2. Operational responsibility
b) Is refuse and recycling collection carried out directly by the local authority or by an external contractor (or contractors)? If an external contractor is used, please provide the contractor name(s) and the start date of the current contract(s).
3. Staff training on disability and accessibility
Please provide details of any training provided to refuse and recycling collection staff (including contractors) that relates to disability awareness, visual impairment awareness, or accessibility, including:
a) training/course title(s) and who provides them (internal or external),
b) the frequency of training (for example induction only, annual refresher), and
c) copies of any training materials, slides, handouts, or guidance documents currently used.
4. Volume of disability and obstruction related contacts
Please provide the number of reports, complaints, or service requests recorded by the council (or on its behalf) that relate specifically to wheelie bins, other bins or waste bags causing obstruction or accessibility issues for pedestrians, including disabled people (for example blind or partially sighted people, wheelchair users, or people using mobility aids), for each of the following periods:
a) 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, and
b) 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024.
Where records are categorised or searchable, please provide: the category label(s) used (for example “obstruction”, “access”, “pavement blocked”), and the search terms, tags, or filters you used to identify the relevant records.
If you do not record a specific “disability” marker, please provide the number of wheelie bin reports that are categorised as “obstruction”, “accessibility”, “pavement/footway blocked”, or equivalent. If none of these categories exist, please provide the closest available proxy measure you hold (for example cases recorded under “street obstruction” where the narrative references a wheelie bin), and briefly describe what that proxy is.
5. How the public can report bin issues
Please provide details of the methods currently available for members of the public to report bin issues (for example online form, telephone, email, webchat, in person), including:
a) the relevant contact points (for example the email address or web page title), and
b) copies of any published guidance the council provides to the public on reporting these issues.
6. Accessibility of reporting routes (information held)