Calls for a food voucher reward scheme to act as an incentive to encourage people from disadvantaged backgrounds to recycle have been made to Glasgow City Council.
Glasgow’s GMB convenor Chris Mitchell says he is supportive of the local authority’s plans to improve recycling by delivering new bins to households this summer - part of a drive to stop people putting their rubbish in the wrong containers.
At a recent council meeting it was revealed that households failing to properly separate their recycling into the correct bins was costing the council an estimated £3 million a year and that the new system would make it easier for people to dispose of their rubbish properly.
READ MORE: Glasgow homes to get new recycling bins this summer to stop contamination
But the convenor is concerned the strategy won’t work and suggested “extra incentives” might be needed to ensure the scheme is effective in working class areas of the city.
Mr Mitchell said: “I am all for recycling especially if it is going to put £3 million back into services.
“I agree with their recycling strategy and I would promote it if I thought we were going to get somewhere with it. I believe it would be beneficial for the city for that £3 million to be put back into services again.
“Is this the best opportunity we are ever going to get to save the planet? People need to be educated properly on how to separate and recycle their rubbish.
“In other countries, for example Ireland, they reward you for recycling because they know it takes a bit of time to do so. Families don’t have time to sit and wash out bottles, especially nowadays.
“You’ve got kids going to school, while you’re at work, or are at home doing the housework. You won’t want to sit there and wash bottles out all day long.
“People will recycle as much as they can but they are not doing it properly because they haven’t got any time. So what if we introduced some sort of reward scheme? Would that help?
“It could work like the green flag award for schools which were awarded green flags for successful recycling habits.
“The council could maybe give out vouchers or something similar as an incentive for example food vouchers to people that are struggling. They could be awarded every four to six months or something like that.”
Glasgow City Council has confirmed that the public will be well informed on how to recycle as the system is rolled out.
A spokesman said: “Contamination of recyclable material and putting material into the wrong bins affects Glasgow’s recycling performance and makes the disposal of household waste more expensive than it needs to be.
“The forthcoming introduction of a new kerbside collection system for paper and cardboard as well as plastic containers and metal cans should help to minimise contamination, which will improve the city’s recycling rates.
“The support from the GMB for these changes to the city’s recycling system is therefore very welcome.
“Ensuring the public is well-informed on how to recycle will be a key part of the introduction of the new system and we are also open to exploring any feasible option that encourages households to recycle more of their waste."
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