THOUSANDS of food waste collection bins are being removed from flats across the city, it has been revealed.

Bins will be taken away from around 2,500 back courts across the north west of Glasgow and the city centre within the next two weeks.

Residents will be notified of the change in a letter which will detail how to continue recycling food, which will involve travelling to one of 200 public waste bins located.

Councillor Paul Carey, who represents the Drumchapel/Anniesland ward, has been critical of the council’s plan.

He said: “I find it incredible that the council is taking 2,500 food waste bins away and replacing them with this pilot project, which will put these industrial waste bins back on the streets.

“These bins will probably attract vermin and as for the council giving the excuse that they are replacing the 2,500 bins due to a health and safety issue for workers is ridiculous.”

The decision is part of a pilot programme looking at the efficiencies of collections and a review will take place in eight weeks time to determine whether to make the move permanent.

Glasgow City Council insist the reason behind the project is due to the contamination of bins in back courts as well as access issues for refuse workers attempting to carry out uplifts.

Meanwhile, for those whose bins remain, collections will resume on August 10 with a new 16-day pick up service, ensuring the same driver and crew will handle each property.

The local authority insist "very low levels" of eventually recycled from flatted property bins, which are often "spoiled" with other waste.

A spokesman said: “There has been a disappointing uptake of the food waste service for flatted properties since its introduction in 2016.

“Very low levels of food waste are eventually recycled and bins are frequently spoiled with other kinds of waste, which then makes it significantly more expensive to process.

“Resolving issues with contaminated food bins takes up significant time and resources and impacts upon the effectiveness of the wider cleansing service.

“Following a councillor-approved review of the food waste service for flatted properties, we are testing a new collection system for a minority of flats in Glasgow North West from next week.

“By providing publicly-sited bins for addresses where there have been significant on-going problems, we are aiming to minimise the issue of contamination and ensure as much food waste can be reprocessed as possible.

“Improved recycling rates for food waste will be good for the environment and good value for the council tax payer.

“We are also hopeful that removing bins from certain addresses leads to improvements in backcourt areas, which will help to reduce complaints about vermin.

“If successful, we hope the new arrangements can be implemented in the North East and South of the city, where the food waste service for flats remains suspended following the Covid-19 outbreak.

“Residents in the North East and South are asked to continue using the general bin for food waste for the time being.”