Sutherland Final Area For Recycling Completed

30th July 2012

Sutherland completes Highland Council's introduction of new Refuse and Recycling Service.

It is now a month since the final phase of the Highland Council's new refuse and recycling service was introduced in Sutherland. Very few problems have been reported, despite house holders in East Sutherland having to adapt to the change in the range of materials that they can now recycle compared to the service that GREAN previously provided on the Council's behalf.

The new service, which is now in operation throughout The Highland Council area, comprises a fortnightly refuse collection, alternating with a fortnightly mixed recycling collection from blue wheelie bins. The blue bins take cardboard, paper, food tins and drink cans and plastic bottles. All items must be placed loose in the bins with no plastic bags. The blue bins do not take glass and householders are encouraged to take this and other items such as textiles to Recycling Points and Centres for recycling. Currently about half of our bottles and jars are being recycled.

The Waste Awareness Team was in attendance at the recent Sutherland Show to give residents the opportunity to raise any queries or concerns about the new service. Overall the feedback was fairly positive and although some residents expressed concern at the loss of some of the range of materials previously collected, others felt the new service was simpler and more convenient.

The Highland Council's commercial customers in Sutherland and throughout the Highland Council area have now been offered a recycling service. It is now a condition of their contracts that they recycle the range of materials collected in the blue bins. They may do this either using the new service or their free permits at Recycling Points and Centres.

Councillor Graham Phillips, Chairman of The Highland Council's TEC Services Committee and Councillor for East Sutherland and Edderton Ward, thanked the residents of Sutherland for the way in which they adjusted to the new collections. He said: "The Scottish Government has set a target of 70% of all waste to be recycled by 2025 and the new collections are helping The Highland Council meet these targets."

He added: "Comparing the Council's figures for the 12 months from April 2011 to March 2012 with the same period in the previous year there has been a reduction in landfilled waste of 11.7% and an increase of 10.6% in the amount of material sent for recycling. I would like to extend a big thank you to all residents in the Highland Council area for the way that they have embraced the new collections."

The Highland Council's Waste Awareness Team can offer advice on reducing waste and increasing recycling to both householders and its businesses customers and can be contacted on 01349 886603 or by emailing recycle[AT]highland.gov.uk/recycle.