£6.5m to improve recycling across the Highlands
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People across the Highlands are to benefit from improved local recycling services, making it easier for households to recycle and reduce emissions, according to the Greens.
Highland Council will receive more than £6.5 million from the Scottish Government’s Recycling Improvement Fund to modernise collections, with key improvements including:
- A new twin-stream recycling service for all 130,000 Highland households
- Expanding weekly food waste collections beyond Inverness to include at least 32,000 more households
- Upgrades to waste facilities in Caithness and Portree to support improved collections
The total awarded through the Recycling Improvement Fund is now more than £50 million.
Circular economy minister Lorna Slater (Greens) said: “This investment will improve recycling services across the entire Highlands, making it easier for people to do the right thing with their waste.
“The most recent warning from the UN’s climate scientists is stark – we must do everything to reduce our emissions. Increasing local recycling rates is an important part of this and this funding will help increase the pace of change.
“Of course, the best way to tackle waste is to avoid it in the first place. That’s why we will soon be bringing forward a Circular Economy Bill. This will help to rapidly reduce our demand for raw materials by supporting greater reuse and repair and encouraging business innovation to avoid waste.”
Greens Highlands MSP Ariane Burgess said: “Improving recycling rates is an essential part of our move away from a take-make-waste economy to one that reduces litter and greenhouse gas emissions.
“This additional funding for Highland Council could significantly improve access to recycling in the region. It is a measure of the impact we are having with Scottish Greens in government and a big step towards a more sustainable future.”
