Flymageddon: As refuse collectors prepare to go on strike, experts warn of threat to health

Scots households face unprecedented swarms of flies gathering around unemptied bins if the planned waste workers’ strike goes ahead, pest control experts say.

The warnings come as union bosses said councils now have just seven working days to find the money to fund a new offer capable of suspending industrial action.

Eight days of strikes across refuse and recycling are due to begin on August 14.

Thousands of bins overflowing in streets across Scotland’s towns and cities will lead to major outbreaks of fly infestations and other flying bugs, as well as health concerns caused by rats, said Chris Cagienard, managing director of Glasgow-based company Pest Solutions.

“Flies will be a bigger problem for people than rats because they are highly mobile and can carry germs and diseases over larger distances, and more quickly,” he said. “If flies land on a bin and eat some of what is there then land on someone’s sandwich, then there clearly is a risk.”

© Andrew Milligan / PA Wire

George Buchan, owner of Pestforce Pest Control Services in Edinburgh, said swarms of flies could become a major issue for ­residents and high-street businesses. “We will see more flies because piles of rubbish attract them in numbers,” he said.

“There will be a lot of fly activity around the bins, and it is not just that that is of concern because ­seagulls will be another big problem.”

Professor Hugh Pennington, a veteran microbiologist, said maggots would feast on rotting food.

“Flies are not so much of a health risk as rats as they are poor at transmitting major infections, but they are a nuisance and will certainly put off tourists,” he explained. “However, when binbags are lying around the streets they are going to be able to thrive, same as rats.”

Public Health Scotland said it was poised to issue advice to the public if the strikes go ahead.

A spokesperson said: “Should the situation evolve, we would look to provide appropriate advice at that time.”

Bin strikes in Scotland

GMB, Unison and Unite ­members voted to take industrial action in 26 of Scotland’s 32 councils after rejecting a pay deal from council body Cosla.

Cosla said the deal was at the limit of affordability for councils, but it was committed to further talks with unions.

Cosla has described the pay offer – which would have seen workers receive a blanket 3.2% rise for a one-year period between April 1 this year and March 31 2025 – as “strong, fair and credible”. It is believed further talks with council leaders will take place on Friday in a bid to avert industrial action.

Keir Greenaway, the GMB union’s senior organiser in public services, said local authority leaders need to sign off an offer while unions discuss the detail, meaning there is even less time to find agreement.

He said: “We are now days from industrial action that could easily have been avoided if councils had shown a determination to find agreement months ago.

“It has been obvious for some time that councils did not have the will or the resource to fund a fair offer while we urged them to approach the Scottish Government for support.

“Ministers only joined the ­discussions last week when our members had already voted to take action and preparation for strikes was well under way.

“The imminent threat of ­widespread disruption has encouraged an urgency among council leaders and ministers that should have been present from the first day of talks.

“That urgency means nothing if it does not quickly lead to a fair offer for our members.”

He added: “Council leaders and ministers have a narrowing opportunity to avert strikes that will disrupt the lives of Scots up and down the country. They need to take it.”

SNP fines plan may be ‘rubbish’: expert

A sustainable consumption expert has said SNP plans to fine Scots for mixing up household waste are potentially rubbish.

Dr Helen Holmes, from Manchester University, said imposing stricter recycling rules could be counterintuitive. She argued that the plans risk discouraging households from meaningfully engaging in recycling and environmentally minded consumption habits.

She said: “We would caution against imposing stricter rules and enforcement on households.

“As our research has demonstrated, not only is this likely to be highly costly for local authorities but runs the risk of further turning off households from engaging with, and appreciating, the benefits of recycling.”

The Sunday Post previously reported legislation that would potentially allow councils to punish Scottish households for failing to recycle properly was being moved through Holyrood. Offenders would receive written warnings and, if they still did not comply, they would receive civil penalties or fixed penalty notices.

The crackdown is part of the Circular Economy Bill, which hopes to tackle the hordes of contaminated waste that makes its way into recycling centres across the country.