This month has seen the expansion of a kerbside collection scheme from 12,000 to all 37,000 homes in the unitary authority's area. The council is also actively promoting the scheme which had a 45% take-up in the 12,000 properties already served.
At present East Renfrewshire comes eighth of Scotland's 32 local authorities for recycling with around 9% of waste being recycled, and council chiefs say the would like the authority to be Scotland's top recycling council.
The new scheme will provide residents who want to take part with a free recycling bag, and a calendar of dates showing when the paper will be collected.
At the moment the kerbside scheme is only for wastepaper such as newspapers, magazines, junk mail contents (except envelopes) and telephone directories (except yellow pages).
The council is planning, explained Anne Higgins, environmental services officer, to extend the kerbside scheme to include glass, aluminium and plastic bottles
The paper collection work is being undertaken by local company Total Recovery which supplies the material to Gartcosh-based Stirling Fibre which in turn sells it on to Cheshire Recycling for use at the Bridgewater Mill. Costs of the work are met through recycling credits being paid to Total Recovery and the contractor receiving any payment for the material from Stirling Fibre.
But, the contract is only on a monthly basis and the council is looking to put a wider kerbside collection contract out to tender. Possible funding towards expansion could come from the SCORE environmental body which has the support of Shanks.
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