Argyll and Bute Council has launched a consultation to ask its residents and businesses what they think about tackling waste throughout the area.
In January 2021, the Scottish Government will introduce a ban on Biodegradable Municipal Waste (BMW) going into landfill. Simply put, that means household waste that is biodegradable, such as food, garden waste and cardboard, can no longer be disposed of in landfill.
In 2017/18 we sent 32, 217 tonnes of waste to landfill. That gave us a landfill tax bill of nearly £3m – around 75% of the total cost of landfilling our waste.
Councillor Roddy McCuish, Policy Lead for Roads and Amenity Services, said: “That’s a considerable cost and to ensure value for money, we need to look at ways of reducing our landfill tax bill. But there is a more pressing need to find different ways of tackling Argyll and Bute’s waste.
“To meet the demands of the new legislation, the council, businesses, community and visitors will have to work together to increase recycling, reduce waste and prevent it in the first place.
“So we need a new strategy to deal with waste that allows the council to continue to provide a high quality and cost effective service on behalf of our 47,000 households and enables us to comply with the new Government regulations.
“The council is in the process of developing a new waste strategy and this consultation is your opportunity to give your views on the approach we plan to take.
“I would urge you to take part in the consultation. This is something that affects everyone. From reducing waste in homes and businesses, to improving our recycling efforts, and the disposal services offered by the council, we all play an important role. The ambitious targets facing us can’t be achieved in isolation.”
To complete the consultation, please go to http://bit.ly/2KkeF8K. You can also get a hard copy of the survey at your local Customer Service Point, or by emailing marketing@argyll-bute.gov.uk.