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Council saves £2m after introducing orange bins

Aberdeenshire council said it has experienced improved recycling rates and saved £2 million since the rollout of new orange-lidded bins.  

Image credit: Aberdeenshire council

The orange lids are for metal tins, cans, aerosols and foil, food and drink cartons, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays.  

The council supplies a separate blue-lidded bin for paper and cardboard – which previously took all dry mixed recycling.

The council said that the savings have come from a decrease of residual waste and less contamination in recycling bins.  

Councillor Alan Turner, chair of the council’s Infrastructure Services Committee (ISC), said: “Less waste, cleaner recycling, significant cost savings, and a lighter carbon footprint.  

“This is a testament to the hard work of our teams and, crucially, the fantastic participation of Aberdeenshire residents.” 

The rollout was completed over the course of a year from 17 April 2023 to 22 April 2024.  

Since its completion, the region has seen its recycling rate go up by 2.8% from 40.2% in 2022 to 43% in 2023.  

The quality of paper and cardboard recycling is now below a 3% contamination rate.  

Residual waste being collected and disposed of has decreased by 1,031 tonnes from 2022 to 2023 and a further 1,861 tonnes from 2023 to 2024. 

The reduction in residual waste has also saved an equivalent of 1,685 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.  

The council also offers the collection of food waste and household batteries if they are bagged and left outside of the bins.  

Bags for household battery and food waste recycling can be obtained from collection crews, household recycling centres or local libraries.  

Going forward, the council plans to target the improvement of food waste disposal which appears at a high volume in its residual waste stream. 

Councillor Turner added: “While the data has shown the significant benefits of the rollout, there is more that can be done.  

“This is particularly true of food waste, which still appears in large percentages inside our black lid bins and could be put to much better use than incineration.  

“We urge everyone to continue their brilliant efforts and help us build on this fantastic momentum.”  

Zero Waste Scotland Recycling Improvement Fund 

The bins were replaced thanks to £3.5 million in total funding from Zero Waste Scotland’s Recycling Improvement Fund.  

The fund goes towards progressing bin collection changes in alignment with Scotland’s Charter for Household Recycling. 

The charter pledges to maximise the capture and quality of recycling as well as reduce the capacity for waste that cannot be recycled.    

ISC vice chair councillor Isobel Davidson said: “We are incredibly grateful for Zero Waste Scotland’s Recycling Improvement Fund.  

“Without external funding, we would not have been able to benefit from the fantastic changes that this massive project has brought about.  

“Much cleaner recycling is being collected across Aberdeenshire. More and more people are reducing the amount of waste they produce.  

“The more people we take along that journey with us, the better it will be for our environment.  

“Yes, we can all still recycle more, and food waste remains an issue in black lid bins, but that also means there is opportunity there for people to make savings on their shopping while wasting less at the same time.”  

Stuart Murray, head of resource management at Zero Waste Scotland, added: “We are delighted to see the impact the Recycling Improvement Fund has had on Aberdeenshire’s waste and recycling service.   

“Aberdeenshire council is one of several councils that benefitted from the Recycling Improvement Fund, which is making a real difference to recycling services and infrastructure across Scotland.  

“These improvements will support Scotland’s journey to a circular economy and help protect our environment for generations to come.”  

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