Plastic Bottle Recycling Comes to Kingussie
The Highland Council has recently introduced a new facility for recycling plastic bottles at the Recycling Point on Market Lane in Kingussie.
The new facility in Kingussie will accept two types of plastic bottles. Type1 bottles (PET) are mainly used for fizzy drinks and type 2 (HDPE) are used as milk cartons or for detergents. The Council urges everyone to try and make sure only bottles marked 1 and 2 are deposited in the bank as other plastics will contaminate the load, this may lead to a need to dispose of the materials rather than recycling them.
Ward Councillor Stuart Black, a member on the TECS Committee welcomed the new service. He said: “In Highland we use around 50 million plastic bottles a year but now people living in and around Kingussie have the opportunity to deposit plastic bottles in this new bank. Approximately 25,000 empty plastic bottles weigh a tonne and research shows that by recycling 1 tonne of plastic we are able to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 1.5 tonnes. This is good news for the environment and helps towards us reaching our recycling targets.”
Ward Councillor Dave Fallows added: "There had been significant difficulties in finding space for a plastics recycling skip at the Kingussie Recycling Centre, but following discussions with Kingussie and Vicinity Community Council, who suggested that the skip could be sited alongside the recycling centre, but on the Market Stance. I put this constructive thought to Dr Colin Clark, our Head of Waste Management, and I am very pleased that he and his team have been able to respond so positively. I am sure that the people of Badenoch will welcome this additional facility."
In January 2008 Council’s throughout Scotland were set a number of challenging recycling targets by the Scottish Government. These targets rise from 50% by 2013 to 60% by 2020 and 70% by 2025. Highland Council has made a number of major investments in recycling infrastructure over the last few years. These include an expansion of the provision of kerbside recycling service, an increase in the number of recycling points and centres and an increase in the range of materials that are collected for recycling at these facilities.
Chairman of TECS services, Councillor John Laing said: “The response of the people of Highland to the recycling challenge has been very impressive. This new facility in Kingussie will enable everyone to do a bit more as we strive to reach some very challenging targets. However, the delivery of infrastructure alone will not be enough, we really need a change in everyone’s attitude towards recycling and waste management. Our Council’s Waste Aware Team and our schools play a vital role in delivering information that enables everyone to make informed choices in how they deal with the waste from their homes and gardens.”
For more information on how the Council can help you improve your environment you can visit http://www.highland.gov.uk/recycle.htm or phone 01349 868439.To find out more about plastic recycling you can visit http://www.recoup.org/