Remember To Recycle

Have A Green Christmas ~ Remember To Recycle

With Christmas almost upon us, The Highland Council is urging everyone remember to recycle especially as over the Christmas period the average household will produce approximately 30% more waste than usual.

If residents have a Kerbside Recycling collection from their property they can recycle old Christmas cards, paper, wrapping paper, extra food tins and drink cans by using their recycling boxes after Christmas. Old real Christmas trees can also be put out in the brown bins if they are cut into easy to manage pieces.

For anyone who has a blue box or refuse bin which is due to be collected on Monday 25th Dec or Monday 1st January, arrangements have been made for the collections to be on the preceding Saturday so bins should be put out early on Saturday 23rd December and Saturday 30th December for collection instead. If the normal pickup day is Tuesday 2nd January, then bins and/or boxes should be put out for collection on Saturday 6th January and there will be no garden waste collections on 25th December, 1st and 2nd January.

Recycling Centres across the area will accept old real Christmas trees, Christmas cards, paper wrapping paper (plastic & foil based paper cannot be recycled), tins, cans and glass bottles and jars for recycling, with some also accepting cardboard for recycling. They will be open as usual except on the following dates:

• Badenoch & Strathspey: The Recycling Centres in Grantown and Kingussie will be open as usual during the Christmas periodbut the Granish Recycling Centre will be closed on 25th December and 1st and 2nd January.

• Caithness: The Recycling Centres in Wick, Thurso and Seater will be closed 25th Dec, 1st Jan and 2nd Jan.

• Ross & Cromarty: The Recycling Centres in Alness, Gairloch, Tain and Ullapool will be closed on 25th December, 1st and 2nd January. The Dingwall Recycling Centre will be closed on 24th Dec, 25th Dec, 31st Dec, 1st and 2nd Jan.

• Syke & Lochalsh: Portree Recycling Centre will be closed 25th Dec, 1st Jan and 2nd Jan

• Lochaber: The Recycling Centre on the Ben Nevis Industrial Estate in Fort William will be closed 25th Dec, 1st Jan and 2nd Jan

• Nairn: The Recycling Centre in Nairn will be open as usual during the Christmas period: Wednesday to Sunday from 10.00am to 4.30pm

• Inverness: The Recycling Centre on Henderson Drive will be closed 25th Dec, 1st Jan and 2nd Jan

• Badenoch & Strathspey: The Recycling Centres in Grantown and Kingussie will be open as usual during the Christmas period but the Granish Recycling Centre will be closed on 25th December and 1st and 2nd January.

• Sutherland: The Christmas and New Year collection arrangements for the GREAN recycling service are:

1. Wednesday 27th December - Brora, Dalchalm
2. Thursday 28th December - Dornoch, Clashmore, Camore, Cuthill
3. Friday 29th December - Lairg, Bonar Bridge, Ardgay, Spinningdale, Pittentraill
4. Thursday 4th Janaury - Golspie
5. Friday 5th January - Helmsdale, Portgower, Embo

As well as using the Council's recycling facilities there are other ways in which you can reduce the amount of rubbish you throw away over the festive period.

• Don't put your fruit and vegetable peelings in the bin, compost them instead. Composting biodegradable waste such as kitchen and garden waste is an excellent way of improving our environment. If this material is sent to landfill it creates a large amount of methane (a powerful greenhouse gas), so the more garden and kitchen waste that is composted the better.

• It is estimated that 6.2 million tonnes of food waste is discarded each year by households in the UK. In Highland discarded food accounts for approximately 10% of the rubbish sent to landfill. Don't throw Christmas leftovers away; use them to make delicious recipes which will also save you money too!

• Nearly 680 million batteries are bought in the UK each year, but just 5% of those are rechargeable - the rest are land filled. If you do buy batteries, make sure you buy rechargeable.

• Approximately 80,000 tonnes of textiles will be thrown away after Christmas. Donate any unwanted gifts, including clothes,toys, books and household items to your local charity shop rather than throwing them away, there is sure to be someone who will appreciate them.

For more information about waste minimisation and the recycling facilities in your area please call 01349 868439, visit www.highland.gov.uk or email recycle@highland.gov.uk.