New recycling bin collection system set to be introduced in Nairn in May
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Changes to waste and recycling collection in Nairnshire will be introduced next month, the council has announced.
This is the second phase of the Waste and Recycling Service Changes programme which will be introduced across the Highland region, after being first implemented in Ross and Cromarty this April.
From next month, green or grey bins will be used to recycle mixed plastics, metals and food and drink cartons, whereas blue bins will be used to recycle paper, card and cardboard only, with each of the recycling bins being collected every 4 weeks.
A full explanation of the changes and details of how and when residents existing blue and green bins will be changed will be provided in a letter in the next two weeks.
Around 5,000 properties in Nairn will also be provided with a new weekly food waste recycling service. Silver food waste caddies and caddy liners will be delivered along with the new non-recyclable waste bins.
Councillor Graham Mackenzie, chair of Communities and Place Committee, stated: “I am pleased to see the new waste and recycling services, funded by The Scottish Government continuing to be rolled out across the region to residents in Nairnshire starting in May. This is Phase 2 of a substantial package of changes programmed for waste and recycling services, which started in Ross and Cromarty in April and is on schedule”.
“Residents are urged to look out for their letters and to keep a note of the important dates when the changes will be implemented.
“The 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.”
“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”
Households receiving 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 and 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.
Changes will be introduced to the Inverness area in May/June, followed by Badenoch and Strathspey in August, Caithness in September and Sutherland in October/November 2024.
The move follows a funding of £6.55 million from the Scottish Government’s Recycling Improvement Fund to implement the changes to waste and recycling collections for communities across the Highland Council area.
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, in a bid to enhance recycling services provided by the Council.
The Council has also approved capital investment in waste infrastructure with the construction of a new Waste Transfer Station in Fort William, along with a communications and engagement package to support residents with the changes to the recycling services.
The changes will be implemented according to the refuse and recycling collection routes and not all properties within a town/area will have their bins delivered at the same time.
More detailed information will be available on the Council’s website including the programme of bin deliveries.
Community engagement sessions will be held in libraries, leisure centres, supermarkets and shops providing more information on the changes to waste and recycling collections.
Highland Council Business Waste Customers in Nairn will be contacted over the next few weeks about the twin stream recycling collections for their business.
