The scale of the challenge faced by those working to increase recycling in Aberdeenshire has been laid bare by the results of a new study.
The Big Recycling Challenge survey was run by Aberdeenshire Council during February 2018 to help determine the future of recycling and waste services
Almost 4,000 responses were received, revealing that 19% never use their food waste bin and only 28% fully use their weekly food bin capacity.
In addition, 12% don’t put their blue recycling bin out for collection every time and 41% don’t fully use their recycling bin capacity.
A new recycling and waste strategy is being developed to ensure Aberdeenshire maximises the benefits from the waste it produces as a community and a full public consultation on the strategy will take place in the autumn.
Recycling generally costs less than half of landfilling waste and the council claims that if all recyclable waste was recycled effectively, the area’s recycling rate could be well over 70%, saving lots of taxpayers’ money.
At present, however, the recycling rate in Aberdeenshire is just 43.5%.
Reuse and recycling targets set by the Scottish Government require the counil to lift that figure to 60% by 2020 and 70% by 2025.
Head of Roads, Waste and Landscape Services, Philip McKay, said: “As well as missing out on significant environmental and local benefits, we are literally spending millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money dealing with material that should have been recycled.
“This money could be much better spent on other essential services.”
More than 1,700 requests for new glass recycling points were received from respondents to the survey.
Those requests are currently being followed-up by officials with a view to improving access to glass recycling in communities.
