As of 1 July 2008 The Highland Council will be changing its policy for the bulky uplift service for certain household wastes, by removing bagged or other contained excess household waste from the list of approved items. This amendment to the service is designed to help improve the environment by reducing the amount of waste going to landfill. It will also support the Council Administration's commitment to increase the amount of waste recycled in the Highlands to 40% by 2010.
In the past, excess household waste which was usually presented in bags, was collected as part of the bulky uplift service. However, this has often contained waste which is suitable for composting or recycling which can now be done at recycling centres and recycling points across the Highlands. This change in policy will not only reduce the amount of waste going to landfill but is also an important step in the effort to encourage behavioural change with regard to waste reduction and recycling.
The Council will continue to collect, free of charge, any article which cannot fit into the normal domestic bin and any article which weighs over 25kg as part of the bulky uplift service.
Councillor John Laing, Chairman of the Council's TEC Services Committee, said: "Over the last few years the Council has introduced significant opportunities for everyone to reduce, reuse and recycle their waste through the kerbside collection service, recycling centres and recycling points. There has also been an excellent scheme that has provided householders throughout Highland with the opportunity to obtain a discounted home composter. Thanks to the effort of residents throughout Highland there has been a marked increase in the amount of waste that is now being recycled, from about 2% a few years ago to over 30% in the last year. We all need to get behind this drive and carry on the good work to cut down the level of waste ending up in landfill sites."
Councillor Drew Hendry, Chairman of the Council's Climate Change Working Group, said the measure would make a contribution towards mitigating climate change.
He said: "Recycling is only one step in an important journey towards managing our waste in a more sustainable manner. There are also a number of simple steps that can be taken by everyone to reduce the amount of waste that is produced in the first place. The Council also works closely with a number of social enterprise organisations to promote the reuse of good quality items such as furniture, clothing and bric-a-brac that residents no longer have a use for."
For more information on what can be done to reduce, reuse and recycle our waste in Highland please visit www.highland.gov.uk/recycle, e-mail recycle[AT]highland.gov.uk or phone 01349 868439.