Ban on vans at tips is delayed
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RESTRICTIONS on quantities of household construction and demolition waste being brought to the strath's three recycling centres have been put back until early next year.
The cost-saving move will limit disposal to just small amounts of DIY items at the sites at Granish by Aviemore, Kingussie and Grantown.
It was agreed by Highland councillors earlier this year in a bid to cut the annual bill of up to £2.4 million for handling and treating the waste.
The materials which will come under the new rules include plasterboard; baths, shower cubicles and associated fittings; kitchen units and worktops; doors and windows, building insulation and water pipework, drainage pipe, gutters and similar materials.
Vans and trailers will be banned from the sites and residents will be limited to discarding the equivalent of one car boot of waste per day.
The council confirmed the changes will now take place from next February rather than tomorrow as originally intended at the local authority's 21 recycling centres.
A Highland Council spokeswoman said the changes will be carried out in two phases.
She said: "The first phase will involve the vehicle restrictions and will not commence until February 3 2020.
"The second phase will focus on the restrictions of construction and demolition materials and will be introduced later on in 2020 with a date still to be confirmed.
"The plan is to start publicity for phase one in the middle of December which will include social media messages and guidance leaflets handed out by operatives at the sites over the busy Christmas period."
The council's recycling centres currently manage 22 per cent more waste per person than the Scottish average for local authorities.
Andy Summers, the council's head of environmental and amenity services, said: "The recycling centres have experienced a 50 per cent increase in waste in the past decade – an additional 12,000 tonnes from 24,000 tonnes in 2007/08, to 36,000 tonnes in 2017/18 – costing up to £2.4m in handling and treatment costs.
"There is no legal requirement to accept construction and demolition waste from households."
A council spokesperson said: "There is a risk that the changes may lead to fly-tipping of construction waste and tyres. This will be monitored, with remedial action taken if required."
Limiting quantities to small DIY amounts is expected to save Highland Council more than £300,000 over the next two financial years.
As part of the crackdown, the council is expanding the range of items that it will include in its paid for bulky uplift service.
This will include previously excluded items such as bathroom suites; bicycles; car wheels and tyres; doors; gates, kitchen units and sinks and window frames but only with the glass removed.
Local Highland councillor Muriel Cockburn said: "I sincerely hope there is no increase in fly tipping once the changes take place.
"I believe businesses in Badenoch and Strathspey are responsible and care about our wonderful countryside."
