Around 18% of the council's population live in small rural communities, which are difficult to supply with a kerbside collection of glass.
” Many rural residents find it hard to recycle due to the disadvantage of having to travel a long way to their nearest recycling facility “
– Shona Drysburgh, Moray council
In order to service this area, 15 new glass recycling points have been put in place in the rural areas. Each point has recycling banks for all three colour glasses.
The banks have been funded by glass manufacturer O-I, which takes the glass from Moray and reprocesses it back into glass containers at its Alloa glass manufacturing plant.
Moray initiated a kerbside collection scheme last autumn, which included the collection of glass. Blue boxes were given to residents for paper and card, while orange boxes were provided for glass bottles and aluminium and steel cans.
More than 25,000 households are now being serviced by the scheme, with a further 11,000 in Elgin and Rothes currently being included in the towns of Elgin and Rothes. Once all phases are included, 82% of the households will receive the scheme.
| Related links: |
But, the kerbside scheme is designed to deal with settlement areas of 500 households or more – leading to the inclusion of the banks, which will see 100% of households under the council able to recycle glass.
Shona Drysburgh, waste minimisation officer for Moray council, said: “Our main aim is to consistently increase tonnage, but to do this we need to keep enthusiasm for recycling high. Many rural residents find it hard to recycle due to the disadvantage of having to travel a long way to their nearest recycling facility. By increasing the recycling points it makes recycling hassle free.”
Register for free to comment