Caithness bin collection changes to come into effect later in year
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Changes to bin collections in Caithness will start to come into effect in the autumn – after they are trialled in Ross-shire and Dornoch first.
Highland Council is altering the collections so that recyclable material is split into two wheelie bins, while waste for landfill will go into a new, smaller bin.
Residents in Ross and Cromarty, as well as Dornoch, will receive a letter over the next six weeks explaining that green (or grey) bins will be used to recycle mixed plastics, metals, and food and drink cartons.
Blue bins will be used to recycle paper, card and cardboard only. Each of the recycling bins will be collected every four weeks.
Details of how and when residents' existing blue and green bins will be changed, will also be provided in the letters.
In Caithness, the change will come into effect in September as part of a phased introduction, the local authority said.
Around 15,000 properties in Ross and Cromarty will be provided with a new weekly food waste recycling service – this includes Alness, Avoch, Conon Bridge, Culbokie, Evanton, Dingwall, Fortrose, Invergordon, Maryburgh, Muir of Ord, Munlochy, North Kessock, Rosemarkie and Strathpeffer.
Silver food waste caddies and caddy liners will be delivered along with the new non-recyclable waste bins.
Households in receipt of the weekly food waste recycling service will be provided with a new 140 litre grey non-recyclable waste bin while all other households will be provided with a new 180 litre grey non-recyclable waste bin. All non-recyclable waste bin collections will remain on a fortnightly basis.
A detailed booklet will be delivered with the new bins explaining the changes and what to put in each bin. A new collection calendar will also be provided with the details of the day the new collection service starts and which bin to put out.
Councillor Graham Mackenzie, chairman of the council's communities and place committee, said: “Highland Council has made a commitment to reduce the amount of non-recyclable waste sent for disposal and increase the amount recycled – these changes will help make it easier for the public to recycle more, helping them to reduce their impact on the environment.
“Residents are urged to look out for their letters and to keep a note of the important dates when the changes will be implemented.
“Separating the recyclable material collected at the kerbside into two bins is called twin stream recycling and will improve the quality and quantity of recycling, reduce the costs associated with waste disposal, which in turn will help to maintain other vital services.”
Highland Council received £6.55 million in funding from the Scottish Government’s Recycling Improvement Fund to implement the changes to waste and recycling collections for communities across the region.
The funding includes the provision of the all-new non-recyclable waste bins to householders along with facilitating the expansion of the food waste collection service to another 30,000 households in the region. Modifications to the Portree and Caithness waste transfer stations to help support the changes to the recycling services is also included in the funding award.
Zero Waste Scotland’s recycling improvement fund manager David Gunn said: “We’re pleased to see these changes being made by Highland Council. By making it easier for residents to recycle more, the area will help cut its carbon footprint and stop valuable materials from going to waste.
“This is vital if we’re to ease pressure on the planet now, and for future generations by becoming a more circular, sustainable society fit for the future.”
The changes to waste and recycling collections will be implemented in a phased approach, starting with Ross and Cromarty in April. Future phases are:
- Nairn – May 2024
- Inverness May/June 2024
- Badenoch & Strathspey – August 2024
- Caithness – September 2024
- Sutherland – October/November 2024
- Skye & Lochalsh – February 2025
- Lochaber – April/May 2025
Households are advised that the changes will be implemented according to the refuse and recycling collection routes, therefore not all properties within a town/area will have their bins delivered at the same time. More detailed information will be available for householders on the council's website including the programme of bin deliveries.
Community engagement sessions will be held in libraries, leisure centres, supermarkets and shops to provide more information on the changes to waste and recycling collections. The waste awareness team will be on hand to answer any questions.
Highland Council business waste customers in Ross and Cromarty will be contacted over the next few weeks about the twin stream recycling collections for their business.
