Restrictions on when vehicles can use waste recycling centres in the Highlands will be lifted after almost three years.
Small vans and vehicles with trailers have been restricted from accessing sites at certain times because of Covid since 2020.
Highland Council has confirmed that these restrictions will be lifted from December 5.
It means households can now drop off household waste at any point within normal operating hours at the nine larger sites.
These include Inverness, Fort William, Thurso, Dingwall, Portree, Alness and Nairn.
Members of the council’s communities and place committee also agreed to submit a bid to the Recycling Improvement Fund (RIF) to boost household recycling in the region.
The fund issued by the Scottish Government has already awarded £21.8m to 18 projects across the country, including one expanding the Highlands garden waste collection.
‘Help keep costs down’
The council hopes to make it easier for households to sort recycling by streamlining the supply of waste bins, in line with Scotland’s Recycling Charter.
Councillors also welcomed the progress in developing three new waste transfer stations across the region in Aviemore, Fort William and Inverness.
Operations at Aviemore are due to commence in early 2023, while the Fort William site is due for completion in autumn 2024.
The Inverness site is due to open later this month on the Longman Industrial Estate.
Committee chairman Graham MacKenzie said: “We are working hard to meet our commitments for a sustainable Highland.
“These changes and proposed improvements to our recycling service we have made today will not only help the council meet its targets set by the Scottish Government but will also support our communities to help us achieve them.
“In these very difficult financial times, it is also very important that we help householders to reduce their waste and increase their recycling as much as possible to help keep costs down for us all while saving the environment.”
Conversation