Have a green Christmas - recycling arrangements in Ross and Cromarty over the holidays

Most of these items are thrown in to people’s bins and end up on landfill sites. However, up to 60% of the waste that is thrown away can be recycled or composted.

The Highland Council’s Spokesman for Waste Management, Councillor Bill Fulton said: "This Christmas why not make a special effort to try and reduce the amount of waste that is sent to landfill by using the improved recycling facilities in Ross and Cromarty which are provided by The Highland Council?"

The Recycling Centres at Alness, Dingwall and Tain will all accept your extra cardboard packaging, old real Christmas trees, Christmas cards, paper wrapping paper (plastic & foil based paper cannot be recycled), tins, cans, glass bottles & jars for recycling. All three Centres will be closed on Christmas Day and the 1 & 2 January with the Centre in Tain also closing on Boxing Day. Over the rest of the holiday period they will be open as usual.

Gairloch Recycling Centre, which accepts cans, car batteries, garden waste, paper, scrap metal, and white goods and the Ullapool Centre, which takes scrap metal and car batteries, will be closed on the 24, 25 and 31 December and on the 1 and 2 January.

There are also 29 Recycling Points throughout Ross and Cromarty including two new sites at Ardross and Sheildaig. All these sites have recently been upgraded to accept paper (including paper wrapping paper and Christmas cards), tins, cans and glass bottles & jars for recycling.

If you have a Kerbside Recycling collection from your property don’t forget to recycle your Christmas cards, paper wrapping paper, extra food tins and drink cans using your recycling box after Christmas. Old real Christmas trees can also be put out in your brown bin but please make sure they are cut into easy to manage pieces and put in the bin.

Councillor Bill Fulton added: "Instead of throwing away all your vegetable and fruit peeling, start your own compost heap this Christmas and by this time next year, you will have free, nutritious compost to help make your garden flourish. Also last years old toys and unwanted gifts can be donated to your local charity shop rather than throwing them away as there is sure to be someone who will appreciate them."