Renfrewshire Council awarded almost £350,000 to invest in its recycling centres

Recycling centres in Renfrewshire are set for an upgrade after being awarded almost £350,000 from the Scottish Government’s £70million Recycling Improvement Fund.

The £346,107 investment will see new compactors installed on sites to increase the volume of materials accepted in skips, as well as adding new skips for cardboard, soil and plastics which aren’t currently collected separately.

Three jumbo roll packers will be procured to compact open skips on sites and the layout and signage of recycling centres will be refreshed to make it safer and easier to access sites for recycling.

The application formed part of Renfrewshire’s drive to lower emissions, improve recycling and protect the environment, as the area continues to strive towards its ambitious aim of being net zero by 2030.

Councillor Michelle Campbell said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded this significant funding which will allow us to make improvements at our recycling centres that will benefit both our staff and residents.

“We’ll be able to expand our capacity to accept more recycling, separate it out further on site, and also make our sites more inviting and easier to use for residents.

“As we continue to tackle climate change in Renfrewshire, the ability to recycle more, and more effectively, will reduce the amount of waste we send to our energy-from-waste site and benefit the environment.

“We are always looking for new and innovative ways to improve our recycling as we try to lower emissions and meet our ambitious aim of Renfrewshire being net zero by 2030.”

The award is part of a further £3.4 million investment from the Scottish Government’s Recycling Improvement Fund, with projects in Renfrewshire, Aberdeen City, and Perth and Kinross benefitting, and fifteen local authorities have now benefited from a fund which will be worth £70 million over five years.

Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater said: “Recycling has a huge role to play in Scotland’s response to the climate crisis. Our £70 million Recycling Improvement Fund is delivering one of the biggest investments in recycling and reuse in Scotland in a generation.

“Hundreds of thousands of people in Scotland will benefit from projects supported by the fund, which will make it easier for households to recycle and increase local recycling rates.

“In August 2023, we are introducing the UK’s first deposit return scheme for drinks containers, which will recycle nearly two billion bottles and cans every single year.

“And we have set out further proposals to increase reuse and recycling rates, and modernise waste and recycling services, in our live consultations on a Circular Economy Bill and a Waste Route Map.

“These actions will boost recycling and make a major contribution to the fight against the climate crisis.”

The Recycling Improvement Fund is managed and administered by Zero Waste Scotland who support local authorities to apply and work proactively with them to develop applications to the Fund.

Iain Gulland, Chief Executive of Zero Waste Scotland said: “This latest round of Recycling Improvement Fund investment from the Scottish Government signifies the continuous commitment to improving Scotland’s recycling infrastructure. Through our Charter for Household Recycling, councils have pledged to bring in consistent and comprehensive recycling services across Scotland.

“It’s fantastic to see support for such innovative projects that will help achieve this goal. Recycling as much as possible will help to address climate change, so we want to make this process as simple, and effective, as possible for the citizens of Scotland.”