Highland householders ready to recycle plastics

Starting from August 31, Highland council will introduce mixed plastics to the materials residents can already place in their blue bins.

The plastics, which must be ‘clean, dry and loose’ follow the recent inclusion of aerosols, envelopes and cardboard food and drink cartons to the council’s commingled collections.

However, householders will not be able to recycle black mixed plastics due to a lack of markets for the material, and non-packaging plastics such as toys and general household goods are also outside the remit.

Highland council has produced a recycling guide which will be distributed to householders from Monday, which explains the new service while also including information on waste reduction and reuse.

Chair of the council’s community services committee, councillor Allan Henderson, said: “Having the opportunity to recycle more items in their blue bins is something people have told us they are keen to do so this move is good news for householders and good news for the environment as it will cut the amount of waste going to landfill.

“I urge people to read the guide to ensure they only include the correct items and take on board the ‘clean, dry and loose’ message.”

Munro

The contract for processing commingled recyclables in the Highland council area was recently awarded to Alness-based Wm Munro Construction (Highland) Ltd.

Tabitha Walker, spokesperson for Munros, said: “We are delighted to have been appointed to handle the blue bin material for the Highland council and look forward to working together to deliver the Scottish Government’s recycling targets.”

She added: “Keeping the processing local is not only good for the environment but has also created 10 new full time positons at our Evanton recycling facility.”

Controls

The council has also been working to improve controls placed on recycling centres, including a ban on the deposit of household waste associated with commercial or trade activities from April 2014, and a pilot launched at Alness in May last year to ensure site users segregate their recyclable and non-recyclable waste.