South Ayrshire Council

42.7% Recycling Rate - Second Best In Scotland

South Ayrshire Council has achieved a recycling and composting rate of 42.7% for the first quarter of 2006/07, the second highest recycling rate for that period in Scotland. This is 5.3% higher than the Council's recycling level for the same period, April to June, in 2005.

The recycling rates across Scotland, for the period between April and June 2006, have been published and approved by SEPA. The Council was only slightly behind Clackmannanshire Council who had a recycling rate for the same period of 45.7%.

Councillor Peter Convery, the Council's Portfolio Carrier for Sustainability and Environmental issues said: “This is excellent news, and demonstrates that our kerbside recycling scheme is really working. In 2004 our recycling rate was only 12% and now we have achieved 42.7%, our highest rate so far.”

“I would like to thank the householders of South Ayrshire and congratulate them for their commitment to the new recycling services. It is vital however, that we all continue to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle' our waste wherever possible so that together we can achieve even greater recycling rates.”

The Council has also invested in two new recycling centres, in Troon and at Heathfield in Ayrwhich have assisted in boosting the Council's recycling performance. Bulky uplifts of waste and general waste going through our recycling centres are also now segregated and screened at Heathfield to extract as much recyclable and compostable material as possible. Now only the minimum amount of waste is being disposed of at a landfill site. More business and school waste is now being collected separately and this will also increase the recycling rate.

July 2007