New waste policy will tackle city centre commercial waste ‘blight’
A new approach to dealing with trade waste in Inverness city centre has received approval from the Highland Council’s City of Inverness Area Committee.
Councillors gave their support to the adoption of a policy that has been informed by consultation with members of the public and local businesses.
The Inverness City Centre Trade Waste Policy has a vision to achieve a city centre that is free from the visual environmental blight of commercial waste containers.
Provost and Leader of Inverness and Area Cllr Helen Carmichael welcomed the new policy, she said: “I’d like to thank all our staff, particularly the Environmental Health team, who have been involved in taking this project forward and also the members of public and businesses who took part in the survey which allowed us to make informed decisions on the formulation of this new policy.
“Speaking on behalf of all Inverness Members, I can safely say that we are all looking forward to the days when we can look back on trade waste commercial containers littering city centre streets as a thing of the past. And we can now look forward to the implementation of this plan which will make a huge difference to the vitality and vibrancy of our city centre. I would encourage all the city centre businesses to engage and work closely with the Council staff in the forthcoming months as the policy gets implemented.”
The trade waste project’s key objectives are to:
• reduce the amount of trade waste containers on the streets and improve the look and feel of the city centre;
• reduce the amount of litter derived from trade waste;
• encourage businesses to manage their waste more responsibly and recycle more; and
• reduce public safety issues by removing tripping hazards and bins blocking footways which can potentially have a detrimental impact on visually impaired or disabled residents/visitors.
The impact and benefits of the project will be evaluated after 12 months with an update to the City of Inverness Area Committee on the findings. Should any business or interested party require any further information regarding the new policy they should contact the Environmental Health team on envhealth@highland.gov.uk or visit the Council website www.highland.gov.uk.