Trial refuse and recycling collections in Skye and Lochalsh to continue
New refuse and recycling collections in Skye and Lochalsh are to continue following the success of a six-month trial. At the same time, the Council has decided to expand the new alternate weekly collections to all Highland Council areas over the next 15 months.
The Skye trial, which has also seen many businesses in the area participating and benefiting from kerbside recycling collections for the first time, has proved very successful in reducing landfilled waste and increasing the amount of waste recycled in the area.
During the first three months of the trial, the quantity of material recycled in Skye and Lochalsh increased by 17% compared to the same period in the previous year; this amounts to over 77 tonnes of material which would otherwise have been sent to landfill. There was also a 9% reduction in the total waste arising in the same period.
Collection days will continue as in the trial and a new 2-year calendar will be available on the Council’s website at http://www.highland.gov.uk/recycle.htm from April. Those without access to the internet will be able to obtain a paper copy by calling 01349 886603. Anyone requiring an interim calendar to cover March 2011 can also request one on this number.
The new service will now be extended to all of the Council’s Skye and Lochalsh commercial customers from the beginning of April. All customers will be offered a fortnightly recycling service. Drawing on the results of the trial, a revised schedule for the frequency of residual waste collections that can be offered to commercial customers has been produced. This will vary according to locality and bin lorry capacity. Full details will shortly be sent out and the Waste Management Team will be individually contacting all of the Council’s commercial customers to discuss their service requirements.
Councillor John Laing said that the changes are an important next step in the effort to increase recycling rates and praised the commitment of people in the area for making the new collections a success.
He said: “These remarkable results show that householders and commercial businesses can recycle more and reduce the amount of waste that they produce if they manage their waste better and follow the advice and information provided about the new collection service.
“Part of the waste reduction is also down to householders no longer using spare bin capacity to dispose of garden waste but instead either composting it at home or taking it to the garden waste skip at the Recycling Centre in Portree. Every tonne of waste sent to landfill currently costs Council Tax payers £48 in landfill tax alone. This tax will increase to £56 per tonne from the 1st April so the more waste that can be diverted from landfill the better.”
Households in Scotland throw away an average of £430 worth of food every year (visit http://scotland.lovefoodhatewaste.com/). Reducing food waste is another way that people can cut down on waste. Raw fruit and vegetables, teabags, coffee grounds, eggshells, cut flowers, cardboard, crumpled and shredded paper and even human and pet hair and the contents of a vacuum cleaner bag can be composted at home. Advice on home composting and other ways of reducing waste and increasing recycling is available by visiting www.wasteawarescotland.org.uk