Published on:
09
November 2012
Clackmannanshire Council's Enterprise and Environment Committee on Thursday approved
a new Zero Waste Strategy, subject to final approval by Council.
Committee Convener, Councillor Donald Balsillie said: "Our Zero Waste Strategy will support the Council's climate change targets, improve resource use and encourage economic benefit from waste reduction and re-use."
The strategy has been jointly developed with Falkirk Council and funded by Zero Waste Scotland as a template of good practice for other local authorities.
Clackmannanshire is already one of the top performing authorities in Scotland with best practice waste management operations and recycling results showing a recycling rate of 53.15% for the year to 31st March 2012 an increase of 3.4% on the previous year.
And the Council aims to improve even further.
Councillor Balsillie commented: "Clackmannanshire residents respond positively to every recycling challenge and can be proud of their achievements by making Clackmannanshire a top performer. However, we cannot stand still on our journey to a Zero Waste society."
The Zero Waste Strategy aims to show what the Council will achieve in a Zero Waste society and maximise environmental and economic benefits for the Clackmannanshire area. At the same time the introduction of food waste collections in early 2013 will create seven full-time jobs with Alloa Community Enterprises (ACE Recycling CiC Ltd.) operating as the Council's kerbside recycling box and food waste collector.
"Translating our Zero Waste vision into action will be challenging. Our services, like the public, will have to adapt to the changes in our collection systems and the requirements to reduce and separate waste for recycling as the Council both produce and dispose of waste on behalf of the community." added Councillor Balsillie.
Among the major changes to come will be:
- Mandatory food waste collection,
- Landfill bans on specified materials,
- Mandatory separated waste collections for commercial premises.
Councillor Balsillie said: "It will be essential for the Council to take the community with it on Clackmannanshire's Zero Waste journey by using our education and awareness messages and offering assistance to householders and business to recognise that waste is a resource we have to reduce, reuse, recycle and compost.
"Everyone must recognise that those who do not participate with our recycling services are draining resources that could be better used within our communities. Currently this costs the Council £140,000 per annum because a minority of people put recyclable material in the wrong bin.
"Ultimately for Councils it may be necessary to use some measure of enforcement to ensure maximum participation with recycling services if we are to achieve a Zero Waste society and realise those savings for the wider community.
"A large investment has been made by the Council to provide reliable recycling services and to meet recycling targets and for the time being we will continue to press home the recycling message as best we can however where - green bins - clearly contain materials that should be recycled, and householders have not made the effort to put recyclable materials in blue and brown bins then these green bins will not be collected until the householder has removed the recycling materials and places them in the correct recycling bin or box."