Thousands of Perth and Kinross households will be required to deal with an additional recycling bin as part of a new two-pronged waste collection scheme after the council was awarded £2.36 million from the Scottish Government.
The “twin-stream” recycling service will encompass around 73,000 properties and will introduce separate paper/card and plastic/metal/carton collections in 2023.
Householders will be given an additional bin to enable them to sort and present the two different material streams separately and collections of paper/card and plastic/metal bins will take place monthly on alternate fortnights.
The Recycling Improvement Fund aims to raise recycling rates, increase participation in kerbside collections, improve the quality of recycling and help the local authority achieve net zero.
Perth and Kinross Council says it will look at “increasing the range of materials available for kerbside collection for recycling”, such as soft and flexible plastics and “assist residents with the transition to the national Deposit Return Scheme”.
The funding will also contribute to the roll-out of dry mixed recycling and food waste recycling to over 1000 households in Perth city centre this year.
The shake-up comes despite PKC’s award-winning ‘Stick to Six’ campaign to improve recycling rates in Perth and Kinross - which received a hostile response from some Perth residents - was expanded further across the region this summer.
Environment, infrastructure and economic development convenor Councillor Andrew Parrott said: “This is a significant award and both these projects aim to work in partnership with our residents to increase recycling participation and improve material quality.
“It will potentially allow us to recycle an even greater range of materials which is a service improvement our residents have requested.
“Tackling climate change is one of this council’s priorities and these new measures are an important step on our journey to net zero.
“We all have a part to play in addressing climate change and I am sure residents will recognise the benefits of these changes.”
He added: “Introducing food waste recycling in Perth will also cut down on the amount of food that ends up in landfill.
“That may seem harmless, but it produces methane, which is an even more harmful greenhouse gas than CO2.”
The Scottish Government launched the £70 million five-year Recycling Improvement Fund (RIF) in 2021 to provide opportunities for capital funding grants for local authorities to improve recycling infrastructure and services across Scotland.
Local authorities had to apply to the fund to take forward projects that will increase both the quantity and quality of recycling whilst delivering wider environmental benefits.
Circular economy minister Lorna Slater announced the funding last Thursday.
Green MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife Mark Ruskell said: “Recycling is an absolutely critical part of our response to the climate crisis.
“It’s brilliant to see another council in my region receiving a boost in funding from the Recycling Improvement Fund, a great initiative pioneered by my Green colleague and circular economy minister Lorna Slater.
“This £70 million investment in recycling and reuse over the next five years is one of the biggest in a generation, and will make recycling an easier option for thousands of households across Scotland.
“For Perth, this £2m boost to local recycling provision is going to be seriously transformative. We need a step change in recycling in the years to come if we are to avoid a reliance on waste incineration.
“That will only come by national and local government working together to invest in expanding the range of materials collected much further.”
