From Tuesday 28 May 2019 householders and businesses on Islay and Jura will no longer have to put recyclable material (plastic bottles, tubs and trays, tins, cans and empty aerosols) into separate plastic bags before they are put into blue bins. Instead you can simply put all the material directly into your blue bin. There are no changes to the materials collected, dates of collection or collection frequencies; the only change is removing the need to put it in bags. The council will therefore no longer provide plastic bags to households on Islay and Jura after 28 May 2019.

Previously, bagging of recyclables was done to help hand sorting of recyclables on Islay and Jura, however the process has now been improved to use the mechanical recycling facility on the mainland and so it is no longer required. Putting recyclables directly into the bin is more convenient for customers, will reduce the use of plastic and will save the council around £4,000 a year. So please remember that from Tuesday 28th May you can simply put your recyclable waste straight into the blue bins provided.