Controversial new waste bins coming to Caithness soon
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Highland Council’s controversial new non-recyclable waste bins are wending their way to Caithness with a rollout currently taking place in Ross and Cromarty.
The council has started delivering the new non-recyclable grey waste bins across Ross and Cromarty (and Dornoch) as part of the changes to the waste and recycling services being introduced across the region and says that Caithness residents can expect their bins in September.
The bin is being delivered with a detailed booklet explaining the new waste and recycling collection service. The new grey bin is for non-recyclable waste and will be collected every two weeks. Current 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 4 weeks. The booklet explains what to put in each bin.
A calendar is also supplied with the booklet that is specific to each household. The calendar clearly shows the date to start presenting the new grey non-recycling bin, which bin to put out and when.
To help with the switchover of the recycling bins, residents are asked to make sure their green and blue bins are out for collection by 7am on their usual collection day. Once each bin has been emptied it will be stickered to show that it has been converted into a new recycling bin as detailed in the letters sent to householders.
Around 15,000 properties in Ross and Cromarty are also being provided with a new weekly food waste recycling service. Silver food waste caddies and caddy liners are being delivered along with the new grey non-recyclable waste bins. All food waste can be recycled using the caddies, including cooked and uncooked food. The collections for food waste start on the same date as the grey non-recycling bin as shown on the calendars.
Households in receipt of the weekly food waste recycling service are being 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.
Councillor Graham Mackenzie, chair of communities and place committee, stated: “The Highland Council has made a commitment to reduce the amount of non-recyclable waste sent for disposal and increase the amount re-used, repaired and recycled.
“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."
For more information and tips on how to reduce your waste please visit www.highland.gov.uk/recycle
Further info: www.highland.gov.uk/binchanges
£6.55 million from the Scottish Government’s Recycling Improvement Fund has been awarded to the council to enhance waste and recycling collections across the region.
The funding includes the provision of all the 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, further enhancing the recycling services provided by the Council. Modifications to the Portree and Caithness waste transfer stations to help support the changes to the recycling services are also included in the funding award from the Scottish Government.
Households are advised that the bin are being delivered 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 Councils website including the programme of bin deliveries.
