NHS support Council’s Skye and Lochalsh recycling trial

As part of The Highland Council’s recycling trial NHS Highland premises in Skye and Lochalsh will be doing their bit to increase recycling and reduce waste to landfill. 

Similar to household recycling, materials such as paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, food tins and drink cans will be picked up every fortnight from NHS buildings in the area. 

Brian Beattie is the Waste Manager for NHS Highland.  He said: “I fully support this trial in Skye and Lochalsh.  We are encouraged to recycle at home, and many of us do, so why should commercial properties be any different?

“We’ve all been told the benefits of recycling.  It’s better for the environment and by recycling these materials the amount of waste sent to landfill is reduced.”

In 2008, 7.9 million tonnes of waste was produced by the commercial sector, 36% more than what came from households.  The recently published ‘Zero Waste Plan’ from the Scottish Government sets out a long term target to recycle 70% of all waste by 2025 so everyone in Scotland needs to look at how to reduce the amount of waste produced and improve recycling rates.  The new plan also bans specific materials that can be disposed of in landfill. 

Mr Beattie said: “The cost of landfill is rising each year and as business waste accounts for the majority of all waste in Scotland these increasing costs will be getting passed on to them. 

“By recycling we will be reducing the amount of commercial waste collections we have so, as well as being good for the environment, it’s going to save us money. 

“I’m hopeful that we will be able to extend this throughout the whole of NHS Highland.” 

Councillor John Laing, Chairman of The Highland Council’s Transport Environmental and Community Services Committee, warmly welcomed NHS Highland’s support for the trial, which involves commercial as well as domestic premises, and begins on 6 September. 

He said: “The Scottish Government has set out a long term target to recycle 70% of all waste by 2025.  Everyone in Scotland needs to play their part in reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill.  To help reach this target we are introducing this trial in Skye and Lochalsh, which offers an improved waste and recycling service. Residents will continue to have a weekly bin collection - blue recycling bins will be collected one week and refuse bin will be collected the following week. Many other Local Authorities have already introduced similar schemes and are operating without problems.” 

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