Residents across Glasgow will be pleased to hear that they'll soon be getting an improved recycling service after Glasgow City Council secured multi-million pound funding to launch a new recycling service.
The council has been awarded more than £21 million through the Scottish Government’s Recycling Improvement Fund to support the introduction of a new twin-stream service for the separate collection of recyclable materials.
This will give residents separate collections for fibre including paper and cardboard, and containers including metals, plastics, cartons and film. This will improve both the quality and quantity of recyclables captured.
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The aim of the funding is to help increase national recycling rates and modernise the way in which we dump our rubbish here in Glasgow.
Glasgow manages the largest share of household waste of any local authority in Scotland. This project will save over 6,000 tonnes of CO2 every year.
Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater said: “By investing more than £21 million towards improving facilities in Glasgow, we will help make it easier for households to recycle and increase local recycling rates.
“This is the largest single investment to date from our £70 million Recycling Improvement Fund. With Glasgow being Scotland’s biggest local authority area, it will also make an important contribution to the national recycling picture.
“This is a big year for recycling, with Scotland’s deposit return scheme going live on 16 August and our ambitious Circular Economy Bill being published soon for Parliament to scrutinise. These actions will boost recycling across the country, and make a major contribution to the fight against the climate crisis.”
The change is expected to spark an increase in volumes of recyclable items collected as people’s habits evolve. Glasgow Greens have been campaigning on the issue for years, and the group’s co-leader, Cllr Jon Molyneux, hailed the breakthrough.
He said: “For too long, Glasgow has made excuses for its shameful recycling record. “For as long as there have been Green councillors in Glasgow we have made the case for better, more reliable services and for increasing the range of materials people can recycle at home.
“Now, with Greens in Government, we are delivering the investment needed to match that ambition. As a result, Glaswegians will finally be able to recycle all kinds of plastics at home, making a positive difference for the planet.”
Councillor Ruairi Kelly, City Convener for Neighbourhood Services and Assets, said: “This funding award is great news for Glasgow and a huge vote of confidence in our plans for recycling in city.
“Our Blochairn centre is showing its age and the funding will help us to build a new recycling facility that ensures material from household recycling bins is sorted much more effectively. We will also invest in an expanded recycling service for kerbside collections.
“These measures will ensure more of Glasgow’s waste goes on to be recycled, which is good for Glasgow’s recycling rates, but also for sustainability in Scotland as a whole.”
Iain Gulland, CEO at Zero Waste Scotland, said: “The Recycling Improvement Fund exists to help councils improve and invest in their recycling and reuse services, helping citizens up and down the country move towards a circular economy, where materials and products are kept in use as long as possible.
“Zero Waste Scotland is happy to support Glasgow City Council in what is a significant and transformative project to increase their operational capacity for recycling as well as to improve the quality of materials collected.
“We look forward to supporting more local authorities through this fund in the future.”
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