Council on course to meet recyling targets
South Lanarkshire Council say they are on course to meet recycling targets – despite a recent survey which showed half of Scots didn’t recycle as they were confused by the rules.
Research from Confused.com revealed people are calling for clearer rules on recycling, as data shows just 46 per cent of waste was recycled by councils in Scotland.
South Lanarkshire’s target is 50 per cent with figures for 2018 showing that 44 per cent of waste within the local authority area is recycled.
A new scheme was implemented by the council last year which means recycling bins contaminated by the wrong material will no longer be lifted during scheduled collections.
They are instead marked with a red tag after figures revealed that in one month alone contamination of recycling bins cost the council almost £60,000 – money which they say would have been spent on services. But research shows that people want to recycle and are giving their best shot.
Almost a third of adults in Scotland will improvise, despite not fully understanding the rules.
However, initiatives have been implemented to encourage people it to recycle in and out of the home.
For example, councils might offer explainer-style postcards or newsletters to update people on the rules in the area.
Tom Vaughan, head of home at Confused.com,said: “We want to recycle, but there’s so much confusion around how best to get rid of our rubbish that we aren’t all doing it properly.
“It doesn’t help that councils seem to have different rules. We know that this is often down to resources and out of their control. But there needs to be some level of consistency across the board to keep people motivated to recycle.”
Alistair Mckinnon, head of facilities, waste and grounds services, said: “The council’s recycling target is 50 per cent, and we are encouraged that the 2018 rate of 44 per cent moves us ever closer to this.
“It should be noted that targets are not mandatory nor subject to penalties, and vary from council to council.
“Our waste team works hard to both engage residents, and to support them, to recycle and compost regularly.
“With this in mind, we educate across all of our available platforms, including issuing information leaflets and staging presentations with everyone from school groups to community councils.”
The council boss added:“the introduction last year of red tags on blue and burgundy bins, is another tool designed to focus householders on the difference that just one wrong item in the wrong bin can make, both to our targets, and financially, in the form of government penalties. “Our goal is to continue to