But, high transport costs have cast some doubt on the long term funding of the scheme.
Working with community recycler Re-JIG, the council has set up six bring sites for plastic bottles on Islay and Jura, Scotland's western-most islands.
Re-JIG spokesman David Protherough said that the community group also has plans to expand the scheme to more sites: “We intend to have 20 sites where plastic drink and milk bottles and aluminium and steel cans can be recycled throughout the two islands.”
Transport costs
With an average of just 13 people per square kilometre, Argyll and Bute is one of the most rural areas in Scotland. The combination of such a dispersed population and the low density of plastics means the scheme will have high transport costs.
Principal waste management officer at the council Alan Millar told letsrecycle.com that only five tonnes of material is expected in the first year of the scheme, but his would have a large volume.
He said: “The main problem with low density plastic in rural areas is that there is a high cost per tonne and funding is always an issue. The scheme has been allowed to proceed due to a combination of Re-JIG being part-funded by Landfill Tax interim funding and the council obtaining European regional development funding.”
He added: “Both of these funding streams run out within the next 18 months and we have submitted a bid to the Scottish Executive for continuation funding from the Strategic Waste Fund but do not know yet whether this will be successful. If successful, the scheme will hopefully continue in the longer term but if not, the service will have to be reviewed next year.”
Outlets
Under the new scheme, Re-JIG will collect and sort the bottles and bale them using the council's baler on Islay. The council or the community group will then transport the baled bottles to the mainland for recycling.
Mr Millar explained two possible outlets for the bottles are being considered. He said one option is taking the plastic to Stirling Fibre in Glasgow, which also takes material from the council's kerbside paper collection. Alternatively, the scheme could tie in with another community group, Campbeltown Waste Watchers, to transport the plastics to Liverpool for recycling into garden furniture products.
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