Getting the ratio right for Aberdeenshire Council's trade customers and their recycling
Aberdeenshire Council is giving its trade customers a 240-litre orange-lid bin at no extra charge during the 2023/24 financial year as the new twin-stream recycling collections roll out across Aberdeenshire.
While the council works with businesses to identify the right number of bins for each trade customer, additional bins will not count towards their existing recycling costs in 2023/24. However, there will ultimately be a cost for each bin businesses have for kerbside collections once the correct number has been established for all the waste and recycling streams.
All the necessary details about the change are being sent directly to businesses, which is why it is important for the council’s trade customers to ensure their contact details are up to date by contacting trade.waste@aberdeenshire.gov.uk as they prepare for the new service.
The orange-lid bin will be used for metal tins, cans, aerosols and foil, food and drink cartons, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, and will be collected every three weeks alongside household collections.
When the rollout reaches their area, trade customers’ blue-lid bins will become for paper, card, and cardboard only.
Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee Chair, Councillor Alan Turner, said: “The new recycling service helps to improve the quantity and quality of the materials that are processed. Collecting paper, card, and cardboard separately from other recycling will ensure it stays clean and dry—reducing contamination and creating a higher quality product that helps to subsidise the costs of waste collection.”
Vice-chair Councillor Isobel Davidson added: “As trade customers begin to understand their recycling ratio on the new twin-stream service, the council will work with them to help get the ratio right and supply more, or less, bin capacity. Businesses should be considering how they will internally communicate the change, separate their recycling, and reduce their waste for when the rollout progresses into their area.”
Trade recycling customers on the Charity Allowance will continue to receive a free waste collection service in line with the standard service provided to households.
If businesses find that one 240 litre bin is not ample for their needs, then please contact trade.waste@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
Trade customers should note that they can be charged for a rejected collection if their recycling and waste is not correctly separated before their first collection on the new twin-stream service.
The Scottish Government’s Zero Waste Plan and Managing Waste Policy set out targets to recycle 70% of all waste and reduce the percentage of waste sent to landfill down to 5% by 2025.
Aberdeenshire Council welcomed £3.4 million in funding from Zero Waste Scotland’s Recycling Improvement Fund to progress the change in alignment with Scotland’s Charter for Household Recycling.
The charter seeks consistency and greater value from local authority recycling by improving the quality and contamination levels of the materials collected.
Businesses across Scotland have a legal duty of care to separate and recycle their own waste. Waste collection and disposal is not included in business rates, so the more waste businesses produce, the more it costs the business—making the reduction of waste a priority for the owners.
Learn more about changes to kerbside collections here: www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/bincollectionschange