New contract for mixed paper and card recycling services for Highland
26th November 2024
The Highland Council is pleased to announce a new contract has been awarded to Smurfit Westrock, a global leader in sustainable paper and packaging, for the Provision of Mixed Paper & Cardboard Treatment Services with Haulage (from the Highland Council area).
The contract which covers a period of up to 6 years will see approximately 11,500 tonnes of mixed paper and card transported from Highland Council Waste Transfer Stations to Smurfit Westrock's Glasgow recycling facility annually.
The mixed paper and card will be graded and baled at the Glasgow facility, to ensure the best quality feedstock for the paper making process. The baled material will then be transported to Smurfit Westrock’s two recycling paper mills within the UK for processing into brown paper reels - these are then distributed to their 32 packaging plants and manufactured into new high quality consumer packaging products.
Chair of the Communities and Place Committee, Councillor Graham MacKenzie, stated "I am delighted that Highland Council has awarded a new contract to Smurfit Westrock to collect and recycle the paper, card and cardboard from the region".
“Securing this contract, is another important milestone for Highland Council, helping to ensure we have long term and robust end markets for the material the public separate for recycling.”
He continued “Keeping the paper and card, dry and free of moisture is very important to the quality of the material and by separating the recycling collected at the kerbside into two bins - paper/card into the blue bin and mixed plastic and metal containers into the green bin, this significantly helps to improve the quality and boost recycling rates.”
“Initial feedback from Smurfit Westrock on the quality of the paper and card from Highland is positive and that the quality of the material is good. This is really reassuring, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the public for their time and effort with the new recycling services”.
“We are delighted to be working with The Highland Council collecting paper and card that can be used as quality feedstock for our UK-based paper mills and look forward to the completion of the rollout.” Said Lucy Russell, Managing Director, Smurfit Westrock Recycling UK.
Paper, card and cardboard including all cardboard packaging, newspapers, envelopes, shredded paper and catalogues can all be recycled in blue recycling bins and at Household Waste Recycling Centres. We cannot accept dirty pizza boxes, blue roll, tissues or takeaway cups for recycling – these should be disposed of in non-recyclable waste bins. Please see visit www.highland.gov.uk/recycle for a list of what items to place in your recycling bins.
The roll out of the new waste and recycling collection service is progressing well with the distribution of the new non-recyclable waste bins to households in Sutherland complete. Deliveries in Caithness have now commenced and are expected to be complete at the beginning of December. Skye and Lochalsh deliveries are scheduled to start in February 2025 and Lochaber roll out will start during the summer 2025.
For more information and tips on how to reduce your waste please visit www.highland.gov.uk/recycle
Related Businesses
Related Articles
In the light of the financial forecast for 2025-26, Highland Council is inviting you to tell us more in the budget preparation for the coming financial year. The budget engagement builds on extensive budget participation which took place in the winter of 2023-24.
The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
Every year Highland Council invites all tenants to have their say on the rent levels for the following year. The Council encourages everyone that lives in a council house to take this chance to have their say.
Communities and Place Committee met yesterday (Wednesday 27 November 2024) and Members agreed the Highland Local Child Poverty Action Report which includes actions for delivery in 2024/25. Reducing child poverty is a priority for the Council and its partners.
The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
Members of the Highland Council's Community and Place Committee have given their support to an action plan focusing on the operating of public conveniences over the next 10 years. Whilst not a statutory function, the Council is the main provider of public conveniences located throughout Highland, operating 74 sites.
A report published on 27 November 2024 by LGIU (Local Government Information Unit) looks at the state of funding for councils by the Scottish Government. Confidence in the sustainability of council finances is critically low.
At today's (Wednesday 27 November 2024) Communities & Place Committee, Members agreed the most appropriate long-term strategic direction for residual waste management is to continue to utilise a merchant provider solution. Communities & Place Committee Chair, Cllr Graham MacKenzie said: "After careful consideration and analysis it has been agreed that a merchant provider solution is considered the most appropriate long term solution to our statutory waste management obligations, and that an energy-from- waste facility within the Highlands is not considered to be a suitable course of action.
The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
The Highland Council welcomes confirmation by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government Shona Robison that the Scottish Government will enable The Highland Council to use up to £28m of its funding through the Inverness & Highland City Region Deal to deliver a new electric Corran Ferry. The vessels used on the route are in need of replacement and this funding announcement, alongside the existing investment commitments.