THE running cost of a recycling centre in Kelso could be paid for by cutting opening hours at existing community recycling centres (CRC), councillors have been told.
Rob Dickson, director of infrastructure and environment, told members last week: “By changing the other opening hours we hope to fund the revenue cost of Kelso CRC.”
However, he added that summer opening hours will probably be extended.
The estimated capital cost of the new centre is £750,000 and annual revenue cost £150,000.
A review of opening hours at CRCs is currently taking place.
At last Thursday’s meeting a motion from Conservative group leader Michelle Ballantyne to delay a decision on the proposal to scrap garden waste collections was defeated.
She had called for the extra time to be used to consult the public and come up with alternative proposals.
However, council leader, David Parker said: “We are elected to make decisions and sometimes we have to make them in relation to the needs of the council.”
Mr Dickson said a paid-for garden waste service had been considered, but would cost £80 per household for those currently served by the collections, and uptake would probably not be big enough to make it viable.
He added that a combined garden and food waste collection service would have higher transport and treatment costs, also making it unviable.
The council has estimated that 15 per cent of garden waste currently recycled will go to landfill after the collections stop in March.