Recycling Trolleys Replace Blue Bins in Ayrshire

Recycling Trolleys Replace Blue Bins in Ayrshire

Residents in Cumnock, Muirkirk, Mauchline, Patna and Dalmellington are being asked to change the way they recycle and store their waste, and a ‘recycling trolley’ is being introduced.

The new trolley will replace the blue recycling bins, and it will consist of stacked black boxes that are specifically for paper and card, plastic and cans, and mixed glass.

The trolleys are set to be introduced in Cumnock first, and the council are sending out letters to residents explaining the changes. The introduction of the trolleys also marks the introduction of a new weekly recycling collection service.

The council state that they believe that the new trolleys and weekly collection will boost recycling rates and prevent much more waste from going to landfill, and they add that many residents support the bid to improve recycling rates even further.

The region already boasts recycling rates of more than the national average, and recycles over half of its waste.

Image courtesy of East Ayrshire Council

Why is recycling important?

The amount of waste we produce is growing, because people are becoming wealthier and they are able to buy more products. The global population is also growing and we are more of a throwaway society, which creates more waste.

Waste has a terrible impact on the environment

• Greenhouse gases are given off when rubbish in landfill sites decomposes. More recycling means less pollution.
• As the rainforests are chopped down, this worsens global warming and destroys wildlife habitats. Recycling means that less natural resources are needed to create new products.
• When new products are made, this requires a lot of energy. Recycling means that less energy is used to create products.

Why don’t people recycle more?

A survey carried out by the waste management company, Viridor, has found that around 2/3 of people are still confused about what they can and can’t put in their recycling bin. This might be one of the key reasons why people don’t recycle more. Another survey found that people don’t recycle more because of confusing local authority recycling rules and confusing information on packaging.

Viridor believe that educating people on recycling might help to solve at least some of the problem of low recycling rates. The added that better waste management systems need to be put in place, and that people need to be supported to recycle more.

The waste management company Serco found that councils across the UK are losing £45 million per year in processing contaminated recycling.

Council bosses say that waste management systems vary because different areas have different needs. Recycling rates are generally not bad across the UK, and around 44% of waste is put out for recycling, but if just one item is placed in the recycling incorrectly, the entire bin is sent to be sorted at a recycling facility, which stretches council budgets even further.