A PERMIT scheme for brown bin collections in the Wee County from this March has been approved at council.

Clackmannanshire Council tenants will automatically be enrolled as the costs will be covered for them by the Housing Revenue Account, supported by their rent payments, but all others will be required to pay £36 per bin per year to opt-in.

A special council meeting on Thursday, January 16, saw a lengthy debate on the issue, culminating in a vote in which four Labour party members were in opposition with SNP and Conservative representatives in favour.

Plans to introduce a scheme were already approved for a £130,000 cost-benefit when the budget was set last March and councillors were this time asked to approve details for the developed plans.

Letters will be sent to all households in the Wee County in the coming weeks to inform people of the changes.

This will include information on registering, payments and how to arrange bin removal if residents do not wish to retain their brown bin.

Registration will be live on the council's website from Monday, January 20, and the local authority says people with no internet access will be assisted at council offices.

Those who do not wish to sign up will be able to dispose of garden waste for free at the Forthbank Recycling Centre in Alloa, or may try home composting with a guide to be made available on the council website.

During the debate members of the Labour party, who opposed the budget in which plans to develop the scheme were approved, raised a number of concerns with leader Councillor Dave Clark saying their position has been consistent.

Issues raised revolved around a worry that flytipping would increase, lack of impacts being considered, a change.org petition which gathered 1,200 signatures and worries for those who do not wish to pay and may have difficulty transporting waste to Alloa.

On the latter, Cllr Clark later wondered how someone with no car and a big garden in Coalsnaughton would take bags of waste on the bus to come to Alloa to then walk through the town to the recycling centre.

The SNP's Cllr Craig Holden highlighted elected members were asked to approve the detail for the scheme, not the idea that one would be introduced.

He also told Labour they had a year to ask questions for more clarity.

The documents showed no evidence that flytipping would increase, he explained, pointing to figures from other councils that had introduced the scheme.

Mr Holden was also critical that there have been no alternative proposals from the other side of the chamber. He added that the service is not statutory and if the proposal was voted down there would be no uplift at all.

Cllr Graham Lindsay hoped the move might urge residents to take a bit of responsibility on recycling and climate change as well.

His colleague Cllr Donald Balsillie added: "I would like to encourage residents to participate and I thank them for their continued support in recycling and composting.

"Only together can we meet climate change objectives to improve recycling and stop landfill, whilst aiming to retain our position as one of the top recycling authorities in Scotland."