Everyone urged to recycle this Christmas
People living in the Highlands are being asked to remember to recycle as much waste as possible over the festive period.
Cardboard, paper, food tins, drinks cans, envelopes, food and drink cartons, aerosols and clean plastic bottles pots, tubs and trays can all be recycled in your blue bin, which not only helps the environment, but saves space in your refuse bin, and saves Council taxpayers’ money.
Councillor Allan Henderson, Chair of The Highland Council’s Community Services Committee said: “We all tend to have a lot more rubbish over the Christmas period and it can be tempting just to throw it all into a black bin bag, but with just a bit of effort, we can all make sure we have a green Christmas, by making use of the recycling facilities available.
“Wrapping paper, cardboard packaging and Christmas cards envelopes, plus the cards themselves, after Christmas, can all be recycled in blue bins. I would also urge people to use their local Recycling Point or Recycling Centre for any glass bottles and jars. Real Christmas trees can also be taken to your nearest Recycling Centre for composting.”
Councillor Henderson added: “Many folk have a pre-Christmas or post-New Year clear-out, so don’t forget that lots of items can be recycled. Most of our sites accept clothing, textiles, shoes and all electrical or battery-operated items, and many have reuse containers for household goods. Better still, why not give your unwanted items a new lease of life by donating them to a charity shop, or offering them on internet reuse sites or newspaper small ads.’
Recycling Centres are open throughout the Christmas period except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and 1st and 2nd January. Check Visit The Highland Council website - www.highland.gov.uk/recycle
for full details of Recycling Centre opening hours and for the full range of material accepted. Please remember to separate waste before arriving at the site as recyclable items should not go in the landfill skip, and black bags may be checked.
Christmas is often a time of excess food waste, so why not visit http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com for tips on saving money and using up your leftovers. Inverness residents are reminded to make maximum use of their food waste collection service, not forgetting to include items such as turkey bones, plate scrapings, tea bags and coffee grinds as well as the usual fruit and vegetable peelings. If your caddy has gone missing, please get in touch and a new one will be delivered to you.
People are also reminded of changes to collection dates over the holidays. The only change this year, is for collections on Monday 2nd January 2017. If your bin would normally be collected on this date, it will be emptied on Saturday 31st December 2016 instead. Adverse weather conditions may mean some bin collections are missed. If this happens please leave your bin out and we will collect it as soon as possible. Please clear snow off your bin to help with the collections.
For further information about recycling in the Highlands visit: www.highland.gov.uk , email recycle@highland.gov.uk or call 01349 886603.