Glasgow City Council has introduced new three-weekly kerbside collections in a bid to encourage more recycling.
The local authority made the decision to reduce bin collections from every two weeks to every three weeks at all main door properties in the city back in 2019 to 'motivate households to make better use of recycling bins and reduce the amount the city sends to landfill.'
The roll-out of the change began in North East Glasgow in November last year, continued in North West Glasgow in February and begins in Glasgow South on April 5. The service change does not affect households where bins are kept in a shared bin shed or back court.
How does it work?
From April 5 all kerbside collections for general waste will be on a three weekly cycle across the city and this will complete the roll out of changes to bins collection from homes with a front and back door.
The new arrangements put an emphasis on recycling, with the blue bin for dry recyclables and the brown bin for food and garden waste continuing to be emptied every two weeks.
The council cite research showing that 60% of the contents of a general waste could be recycled. The changes are to help motivate more households to make better use of all the recycle bins that are available to them.
A council spokesman added: "Three weekly kerbside collections for general waste have worked for other local authorities and our staff have told us they prefer the new system as it means fewer collections to make and easier routes to follow."
Why?
Glasgow currently lags behind other Scottish cities in its recycling.
The move was approved in 2019 as part of the Household Recycling Charter, which councillors of all parties agreed that the local authority should sign up to. The city is currently aiming to be carbon neutral by 2030.
Glasgow City Council said: “The charter says we should aim to increase recycling and reduce the amount of waste that cannot be recycled, but indicates there should be a limit on how much general waste a household generates over the course of a collection cycle.
“Based on the most recent figures a quarter of our 250,000 tonnes of household waste is recycled each year, which means the city’s rubbish creates a climate impact of 774,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
“The council’s position is that the city is facing a climate crisis and that we must aim to be carbon neutral by 2030.
“Three weekly kerbside collections for general waste will help to improve the city’s recycling rate as part of a much wider effort to reduce the carbon footprint of the city.
What if I need an extra recycling bin?
If a household finds they need an extra recycling bin, the council will provide a 360 litre bin free of charge. A larger general waste bin can also be provided for certain households that create large amounts of waste, such as those with medical needs. This would give those households the exact same bin capacity per week as they had under the previous system.
To find out more, visit the Glasgow City Council website.
