Scotland&#39s lowest recycling council aims to reach 10% by 2003

The area, shown to have the worst recycling rate in Scotland in 1999/2000 at 1.3%, hopes the 120,000 scheme will increase its expected rate of 6% for 2001/02 to its target of 10% for 2002/03.

The pilot will affect 27,000 households in the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth areas. The money was raised through a partnership between the council, North Lanarkshire Forward, British Trust Conservation Volunteers Scotland (BTCV Scotland) and Fresh Futures.

The pilot, which started in March, collected more than 180 tonnes of recyclables in its first two months. If successful, the council aims to increase this to 160 tonnes a month – almost 2,000 tonnes a year. All non-recycled waste in North Lanarkshire currently goes to landfill.

Increase
Officially opening the scheme last week, Environment and Rural Development Minister Ross Finnie said: “Although North Lanarkshire had one of the poorest recycling rates in Scotland last year, this scheme should lead to a substantial increase in recycling and help meet the aims of the Executive’s National Waste Strategy.”

The scheme features two colour-coded bags: a blue one for newspapers, magazines, directories and textiles, and a while bag for aluminium cans and glasses. BTCV will collect the bags each fortnight and transport them for recycling by Shanks in Glasgow.

Of the 120,000 raised for the scheme, 70,000 came from Landfill Tax money provided by North Lanarkshire Forward, 25,988 came from Fresh Futures, who are part of the New Opportunities Fund, and North Lanarkshire Council provided the remainder.

And there is a novel incentive to encourage residents to use the pilot, as a spokeswoman explained: “For every point we go up in our recycling success, we will donate 2,500 to our three nominated charities, St Andrew’s Hospice, Children First and Help the Aged.”

Cumberland and Kilsyth have not previously had kerbside collections. A blue bin kerbside scheme run solely by the council is due to be extended in the next two months in another area of North Lanarkshire from 6,000 to 24,000 bins for all recyclable waste.