Falkirk residents to get new burgundy bin for paper and cardboard

Households in Falkirk will start to see a new bin being introduced over the next few weeks and months.
Councillor Paul Garner with Lois Friel and Leo Friel and the new bins.Councillor Paul Garner with Lois Friel and Leo Friel and the new bins.
Councillor Paul Garner with Lois Friel and Leo Friel and the new bins.

And while residents might groan at the prospect, the new burgundy bins come with a promise they will stop the council having to throw away £1.3m every year.

Paid for by Zero Waste Scotland, the burgundy bin will be for paper and cardboard only.

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The traditional blue bin will continue to take most plastics.

The hope is that separating the waste will dramatically improve recycling rates – even for people who are already trying hard to get it right.

“Currently, if a bin full of recycling has any liquid spilled in it, the whole load is contaminated and will end up in landfill,” explained waste strategy manager Lesley Scott.

“Not only is that a waste of residents’ time and efforts, it also costs the council cash.

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“Separating these items before they are collected for recycling means the paper and cardboard will not get contaminated by any liquids from almost empty bottles.

“If it’s collected purely as paper and cardboard, it’s more attractive to the paper industry, and it makes our product more accessible to high quality paper mills.”

Councillor Paul Garner introduced the new bin this week insisting they are a necessary addition to gardens across the district.

He said: “The bottom line is that the decision has been made for environmental reasons — to reduce landfill.

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“And, as we know council budgets are tight today, a saving of £1.3m can’t be ignored, and protects the likes of social care and education.”

The roll-out of the new bins has been fully funded by Zero Waste Scotland, which is also giving the council funds for education projects that will tackle issues such as littering and fly tipping.

From Monday, Falkirk residents will start to see notices placed on their bins to tell when the new receptacles will arrive in their area.

After that, they will be notified about when their blue and burgundy bins will be collected.

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This will be every four weeks, with two weeks between the two collections.

The roll-out is expected to be completed by September 13.

The new bins will come with a fresh plea to remember that some plastics, in particular plastic bags and film, cannot be recycled and residents should continue to put them in the green bin.

People are also encouraged to rinse and squash their plastics and tins before they put them in the correct bin.

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