The proposal is one of several drawn up by the Scottish Government’s Zero Waste Taskforce aimed at boosting recycling north of the border, and will focus on the design and operation of collection services as well as communication material.
The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), whose spokesman for sustainability councillor Stephen Hagan co-chaired the Taskforce alongside Mr Lochhead, is to be charged with delivering the charter, which is to be put to council chiefs at a COSLA leaders meeting in Edinburgh at the end of August.
According to the Scottish Government, the charter will aim to improve participation and recycling rates, and also to improve the quality of recyclate collected. It is also aimed at building on the provisions of the Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012 which require local authorities to provide householders with a collection service for dry recyclables and food waste.
Value
Announcing the plans yesterday (June 25), Mr Lochhead said: “I want to make it easier for people to recycle. Presently there is a variety of different systems for collecting paper, glass, plastics, food waste and general waste across Scotland – you can go from one local authority to the bordering local authority and find different systems. While this is often the case for sound local reasons, as people move between different parts of Scotland it can lead to materials becoming contaminated and losing value, fetching lower prices, and simultaneously increasing the costs to councils for sorting and cleaning.
“More consistent systems will allow councils to work together more efficiently, save money and cut down on confusion over what can be recycled where.”
The Zero Waste Taskforce met four times between March 2014 and June 2015, with input also coming from Zero Waste Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
Agreement
Councillor Hagan added: “The 28th of August, when council leaders meet to consider this, could be the most significant ‘bin day’ in Scotland for decades. I’m hoping that leaders will agree then to this idea originating from local government to increase consistency of waste collections and make it easier for people to recycle.
“By so doing I believe we will not only drive up recycling rates but also improve public services, deliver value-for-money and promote local economic development and investment. I welcome the Cabinet Secretary’s support for joint leadership on this matter.
Scotland has set a target to recycle 70% of household waste by 2025, having fallen short of its target to recycle 50% of waste by the end of 2013 – achieving a recycling rate of around 42.2% for the year.
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