Fee introduction was a factor in recyling rate dip, but just a blip insists Highland Council
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
THE controversial introduction of the fee for emptying brown bins was a factor in the area’s dip in recycling rates last year.
But Highland Council chiefs say it was just a blip.
While the level of household waste recycled nationally exceeded the amount sent to landfill for the first time, the tonnage slipped in Highland.
The region’s 2016 recycling feat of 44.5 per cent dropped last year to 43.6 per cent – and last year a £30 charge was brought in for emptying garden waste bins. This fee was increased to £35 this year.
The council’s vice convener Allan Henderson, who also is also chairman of the environment committee, said: “While we’re getting better at recycling, the change to charging for brown bins has meant some garden waste being channelled into municipal waste.
“I believe our proposal to build a ‘material recovery facility’ and roll out extra brown bin coverage will reverse this slight dip.”
The latest figures from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) show that recycling rates improved at 19 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities.
It estimates that 45.6 per cent of waste generated in Scotland was recycled, which was an annual increase of 0.6 per cent.
Scotland’s environment secretary Roseanna Cunningham welcomed the figures but said more progress was needed, particularly in the cities.
The biggest increases in recycling rates were in West Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Dumfries and Galloway, South Ayrshire and Aberdeen City.
Ms Cunningham said: “The Scottish Government has big plans for tackling waste plastics, in particular by introducing a deposit return scheme, to further incentivise people to recycle.
“We’ve also introduced a household recycling charter for local authorities to sign up to, which is making the approach to recycling less confusing for households and creating a more consistent and efficient system for authorities.”
The Sepa figures show the amount of household waste generated in Scotland was 2.46 million tonnes in 2017 – a decrease of 38,153 tonnes from 2016.
