Site Directory
Environment
Recycling and Waste
Recycling
Kerbside Recycling in Urban Areas
This Food Waste Recycling Service is a one year trial scheme funded by the Scottish Government. It is being operated only amongst the 5,000 households already receiving fortnightly kerbside recycling collections in Aberchirder, Banff, Macduff and Whitehills.
- What to do when you receive your food waste containers.
- How to use your food waste service.
- Where can I get replacement bags?
- Why recycle your food waste?
- Should I use this scheme or home composting?
Please make sure you do this when you receive your food waste collection containers:
- Complete the sticker (shown below) on your green outdoor food waste bin by writing in the name or number of your house and the name of your street. This is to make sure you get your own bin back after collections. This is particulalrly important for your own convenience as you might find, on occasion, that a neighbour's bin is returned unemptied due to incorrect contents.
- Look inside the green outdoor food waste bin for your kitchen caddy, compostable bags to line the kitchen caddy, and an informaton leaflet which includes your collection day on the front cover. Please note, your food waste collection is weekly.
- Read the information leaflet so that you know exactly how to use your new service without disappointment. It lists what you can and cannot put in your food waste bin for collection, the same as the sticker (above) for the green outdoor food waste bin.
How to use your food waste recycling service
Please use ONLY the compostable bags supplied to line your kitchen caddy. These are made from corn starch so that they will compost with your food. Plastic bags and even other bags marked 'biodegradable' will not work with this composting system.
The kitchen caddy and liner bags are designed to take both cooked and uncooked food.
Avoid putting hot food in. Let it cool first. Also avoid runny substances such as liquids, oils and fats. Only put food in, never any type of wrapping or packaging.
The vented blue kitchen caddy and liner bags are designed to work together, drying out food contents and avoiding smells. You will probably find a bag lasts three or four days easily.
When the caddy liner bag is full, just tie the top, lift it out and put the bag in your green outdoor food waste bin. That way, you don't have to handle the food waste and you should avoid any spillages in your house or in the green outdoor food waste bin.
Please remember - do not line your green outdoor food waste bin with plastic bags. These could end up in the recycling collection and prevent it from working properly. The bin is designed to clean very easily if you wish to do this.
Please leave your green outdoor food waste bin at the kerbside by 6.30am on collection day to make sure you don't miss the collection.
Please leave the large swing handle straight up if possible. This will keep the lid locked to prevent spillages and will also help our crews to pick up the bins. Folding the handle forward also keeps the lid locked.
Never leave the green bin out with the handle folded to the back. This means the lid is unlocked and spillages could easily occur.
Where can I get replacement kitchen caddy liner bags?
You should use only the compostable bags supplied to line your kitchen caddy and no liner bags at all in your green outdoor food waste bin. Replacement liner bags for the kitchen caddy are free of charge and you can obtain them from:
- The Food Waste Collection Vehicle Crew. Either ask the crew if you see them or just tape a note to the lid of your green bin to ask for more bags. Please remove the note afterwards. Depending on conditions at the time, your bags may be wedged into the bin handle or left inside the bin.
- Aberchirder: Recycling Point and waste disposal skip, Old Roads Depot, North Street (Sundays only, 11am - 3pm)
- Aberchirder: Library, Main Street,
(Mon 5 - 7.30pm, Wed, 3 - 5pm, Fri 5 - 7.30pm) - Banff: Reception area at Aberdeenshire Council Planning & Environmental Services office, Mercat Cross, Low Street
(Mon - Fri, 8.45am - 5pm) - Banff: Library, High Street (Tues 2 - 4pm & 5.30 - 7pm,
Wed 2 - 5pm & 6 - 8pm, Thurs 10am - 12 noon,
Fri 2.30 - 5pm, Sat 10am - 12 noon). - Macduff: Household Waste & Recycling Centre, Old Gamrie Road (Mon - Sun)
- Macduff: Library, High Street
(Tues 3 - 8pm, Wed 3 - 5pm, Thurs 10am - 12 noon & 6 -8pm, Fri 3 - 5pm, Sat 10am - 4pm). - Whitehills: Household Waste & Recycling Centre, The Harbour
- Whitehills: Library, Loch Street
(Tues 5.30 - 7.30pm, Thurs 2 - 5pm, Sat 10am - 12 noon) - Call the Wasteline
Why recycle your food waste?
- It makes more space in your refuse bin.
- It prevents food waste going to landfill, where it gives off carbon dioxide and methane, contributing to climate change.
- It will help to test the feasibility of providing a similar collection across Aberdeenshire.
- Your food waste stops being waste and becomes useful. It is composted locally in an enclosed container and used as an agricultural fertiliser. This compost has to meet rigorous standards and is safe for use on the land.
Should I use the food waste collection or should I home compost?
You can do both. Home composting is even better for the environment than using a recycling scheme like this, because it deals with the waste without involving any further transport or energy use. However, there are some foodstuffs that are unsuitable for composting. This scheme accepts both cooked and uncooked food of all types.
Please continue to compost uncooked fruit, vegetables, tea bags, coffee grounds, eggshells etc. while using this scheme to recycle any other food.
For information on discounted home composting containers, please visit the Waste Aware Scotland website.
