1. When is the new service starting?
From week beginning Monday 4th October.
Until then you should continue to use your bagged recycling service provided by KRL until the end of September.
2. Why the change?
This new service will allow Argyll and Bute to help Scotland meet its ambitious target of recycling 70% of all waste by 2025. It also means that Kintyre residents will now receive the same blue bin recycling service as the rest of mainland Argyll and Bute. By recycling more we are helping to reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change - it takes less energy to make recycled products than using raw materials.
3. When will my bins be collected?
To find out when your blue bin will be collected from October onwards, your new calendar will be available to download on the Kintyre bin collection page from late September.
Your blue bin will be collected every two weeks.
4. Where should I put my bin?
You should put your bin out at the kerbside (like you do with your green general waste bin) by 7.30am on the day of collection.
5. I can’t access my calendar online/ I receive a hard copy calendar – what should I do?
You don’t need to do anything.
We have a record of those customers to whom we’ve provided hard copy calendars in the recent past (since we moved to a default digital calendar service) and we will arrange for those same customers to receive updated hard copy calendars.
If you normally receive a hard copy calendar and you haven’t got it by Friday 1st October, please call us on 01546 605514.
6. Are there any changes to my green bin service?
No
7. I receive an assisted uplift for my green bin – will I still get this for my blue bin?
Yes.
You don’t need to do anything – you will automatically get an assisted uplift for your new blue bin.
8. When will my bins be delivered?
We are delivering bins to households from early September. We have around 5,000 to deliver, so are doing it in stages over the month.
This leaflet - Kintyre new recycling service - will be delivered with your bin to provide more information about the new service.
Everyone who needs one should receive a new blue bin by Monday 27th September
9. What should I do if I haven’t received a blue bin?
If you haven’t received your blue bin by Tuesday 28th September please call us on 01546 605514 and we’ll arrange to have one delivered to you.
10. Is everyone changing to this new service?
Almost everyone. At a very small percentage of properties (tenements mainly) there just isn’t enough space to store blue bins, so these properties will stay on a bagged service.
We are sending a letter to all of those properties staying on a bag service to let them know.
Anyone staying on a bagged recycling service will still need to download a new calendar from the Kintyre bin collection page as your collection schedule may have changed.
11. I am staying on the bagged service – what can I put in my bag?
Unlike the previous service where you had to put your paper and cardboard in one bag and your plastics and cans in another, with the new service you can now bag all these items together.
More information on what you can and can’t recycle is available here: Kintyre - new recycling service
12. If I am staying on a bagged service how will I get replacement bags?
The Council will deliver a bundle of bags each quarter – this will be before your first scheduled collection in October, then on the first scheduled collection in January, April, July, October and repeating on that pattern each year.
The bundle should provide you with enough bags until your next drop off. If for whatever reason you run out of bags, you can:
- a) Collect more at the Burnet Building or the Aqualibrium; or
- b) Order more by phoning 01546 605514 or by using our online form which will be available here when the new service starts.
13. What if my street isn’t accessible by your bin lorry and I already have a ‘’road end’’ collection / our street has communal bins?
In this case your street will receive another large communal bin which will be specifically for recycling
14. Where will my recycling go?
Your recycling will go to the Lingerton waste and recycling facility in Lochgilphead, which is operated on behalf of the Council by Biffa.
From there it will be bulked up with all other blue bin recycling from Mid Argyll and sent on to a materials recycling facility in the Central Belt where the items are sorted and then passed to materials re-processors who then create new products.
15. What can I put in my blue bin/recycling bag?
Your blue bin is for paper, card, cans and plastic
Your blue bin is emptied every 2 weeks
- Please do not put items into plastic bags, just straight into the bin
- Please rinse cans, cartons and plastics before putting them in the bin
- Please leave the lids off bottles so they can be squashed, or squash them and put the lids back on
- Shredded paper can be put into a recyclable item first, for example, a cereal box
Include:
- food, drink and aerosol cans
- clean plastic drinks, detergent or cosmetic bottles, plastic pots, tubs and trays
- paper, newspaper, brochures, magazines, envelopes, books
- food packaging cardboard / packaging sleeves
- cereal boxes
- egg boxes
- cardboard boxes / packaging
- drinks cartons / tetrapaks
- clean foil containers (takeaway food etc)
Please don't include:
- oil or paint tins
- plastic bags or liners
- other types of plastic packaging
- tissues
- metallic wrapping paper
- paper and card contaminated with food
- painted paper or card
16. I’ve missed my bin collection day and my bin is full what can I do?
Unfortunately if you miss your collection day we cannot come back out and empty your bin for you – you will have to wait until your next scheduled collection or take your recycling to your local civic amenity site: The Roading Recycling Centre
If you know in advance that you are going to be away on your bin collection day try to make arrangements with a family member or neighbour to get your bin out.
17. What if my bin isn’t collected on the scheduled day?
Please check our service disruption page before contacting us about a missed bin as it may have information on why your bin uplift is delayed.
We also provide bin disruption information on our Roads and Infrastructure Twitter account here: @ABC_roads_infra
Also check that you have put out the correct bin on the correct day from your calendar.
If there is no service disruption and the correct bin has been put out please leave it out for collection as it is likely that our team is just running behind schedule – in most cases we manage to catch up on any missed bins the following day.
If your bin hasn’t been collected by 10pm on the following day then please get in touch with us and we will look into it. You can call on 01546 605514 or fill out a missed bin report form
18. What does a yellow tag on my blue bin mean?
This means your bin is contaminated – there are items in the bin which shouldn’t be. You can check what goes into your blue bin in the leaflet you received with the bin or here – Kintyre - new recycling service
If your bin is tagged it is your responsibility to remove the incorrect items and put out your bin at the next scheduled uplift.
We will not come back to collect your bin until the next scheduled uplift.
19. Is Gigha also part of the new service?
Yes.