The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has announced that South Ayrshire Council has the second highest recycling rate of the 32 local authorities in Scotland.

Between April and June 2005 householders in South Ayrshire achieved a rate of 37.4%, which is the equivalent of 8,353 tonnes of household waste being recycled and composted. This is the equivalent of 795 lorry loads of waste, or over 3,000 lorry loads a year diverted from landfill.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Andy Hill said: "This is excellent news, and householders in South Ayrshire should be celebrating their achievement.

"Since the new household waste collection system was introduced the co-operation the Council has had from residents has been outstanding. Council staff have worked very hard to implement and run the new system. However if householders were not fully co-operating the recycling rate that SEPA has reported would not have been achieved.

"Recycling is about reducing the amount of landfill, but importantly if we all 'Reduce, Reuse and Recycle' the environment will be improved and preserved for future generations to enjoy.

"The achievements to date are amazing, but this is just the beginning and the Scottish Government will over the next few years be introducing even more stringent targets for the amount of waste that can be dumped in landfill sites. So I would commend everyone in South Ayrshire for their efforts and ask them to keep up the good work."

The European Union Landfill Directive states that all Councils must reduce the amount of waste that is being disposed of to landfill sites. South Ayrshire Council, like other local authorities across Scotland, had an obligation to significantly reduce the amount of landfill by the introduction of a new household waste collection system.

There was only one way to achieve this and that was to completely change the way in which householders and the Council dispose of household waste.

Funds received from the Scottish Government's Strategic Waste Fund were used to finance the implementation of the new system, which was phased in across South Ayrshire starting in 2003, and is now complete. A total of nearly 20 million pounds will be received up to the year 2020 by the Council to support the scheme.

The three Ayrshire Councils, Dumfries and Galloway Council, and SEPA developed an area Waste Plan that sets out realistic objectives to change the way waste is managed in Scotland. The Plan outlines ways to meet the challenge of reducing the amount of waste disposed of in landfill sites from the current 95% to less than 50% by 2020.

South Ayrshire Council has introduced the three bin system for household waste, and provides a service to uplift glass bottles and jars from a black box left outside households which then go on to be recycled.

The Council has established a Helpline on telephone number 0845 601 2020, to assist residents who have any questions regarding the new system, or who would like to pass any comments to the staff taking the calls.

November 2005