Budget Blog Focuses On Recycling And Disposal Of Waste

23rd October 2012

The latest topic for discussion on The Highland Council's budget consultation blog asks the public for ideas on the recycling and disposal of waste. The questions are posed by Councillor Dave Fallows, Chairman of the Council's Finance Resources and Housing Committee, who is encouraging comment on his budget blog on proposals to deliver Council services more efficiently and effectively.

The blog complements the Council's budget consultation exercise to identify major savings in 2013-14 and 2014-15. The Council has held 11 public meetings to date to discuss the proposals, with one final meeting to take place on Tuesday 30 October at Culloden Academy in Inverness.

In his blog, Councillor Fallows writes: "Landfilling waste will be more or less banned in Scotland by the end of 2020. We currently spend around £7.5 million per year in disposing of waste in landfill sites out-with the Highlands and the cost of waste disposal for each household in Highland continues to increase. Reducing the amount of waste produced by individuals and communities is the best way of reducing financial and environmental costs but recycling also helps. So I would like the public's views on what else you think communities can do to reduce the amount of waste produced and at the same time increase the level of recycling."

He added: "We also need to think about what we do with our waste in the future, so I would like to know whether the public would be supportive of introducing local waste treatment facilities which would see more waste treated within the Highlands."

Examples are:

Treatment facilities which remove recycling waste and turn the residual waste into fuel.
Treatment facilities which remove recyclable waste and use the residual waste to provide hot waste and electricity.
Treatment facilities which remove recyclable waste and then convert the residual waste into bio-fuels.
Councillor Fallows urged the public to comment on the ideas the Council has to balance the budget and give their views on how the Council might save money.

The budget consultation will run until Wednesday 31 October. The blog is prominently featured on the home page of the Council's web site: www.highland.gov.uk.