Half of Scottish councils agree to Recycling Charter

The initiative has been developed by the Zero Waste Taskforce, a partnership between the Scottish Government, the Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and Zero Waste Scotland.

It was launched in December 2015, with Falkirk the first council to officially sign the Charter in February (see letsrecycle.com story).

The Charter includes a recommendation for the adoption of a three-stream recycling system, which will include one container for glass, one for paper and card, and one for metals and plastics, together with existing food waste and residual collections. Local authorities signing up to the Charter can apply for funding to help carry out service changes.

Policies

The Charter also sets out a common approach to the operation of services, communication with residents, and common policies on issues such as contamination.

Over time it is hoped that councils will also adopt a consistent colour system for recycling containers.

Local authorities to have signed up to the Charter include: Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee city, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Eilean Siar (Western Isles, Falkirk, Fife, Inverclyde, Midlothian, North Ayrshire, Perth & Kinross, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire and Scottish Borders.

‘Progress’

Commenting on the signatories, Scotland’s Environment Secretary, Roseanna Cunningham, said: “The consistent approach to recycling can deliver genuine efficiencies and cost savings to both individual councils and to local government as a whole. I’m hugely encouraged by the progress that’s been made since Falkirk council became the first to sign the Charter in February; now we have 16 local authorities – half of all Scottish councils.

“The success so far is down to partnership working and I applaud the effort put in by COSLA and Inverclyde Council in particular, who’ve shown fantastic leadership. We’ve already made great progress since the Charter was launched in December, but we can do more and I heartily encourage other Scottish councils to sign up and help us take this next step towards a circular economy in Scotland.”

COSLA

Stephen Hagan, COSLA spokesperson for Development, Economy and Sustainability, said: “Councils are firmly committed to creating opportunities for job creation and economic development across our communities and we see this consistent approach to recycling services as being fundamental to the circular economy approach that can help to unlock the value inherent within our so-called “waste” streams. I look forward to working with the Scottish Government to fully implement the Charter and to realising its full potential.”