The Saturday seasonal garden waste service is to return to six communities across Aberdeenshire this year. It will operate from 15 April to 4 November in Ballater, Aboyne, Inverbervie, St Cyrus, Mintlaw and Newtonhill (at the Coastal Park car park).

The lorry will be in Newtonhill from 8am to 11.40am.

Last autumn council officers said the Newtonhill service would not return as a new recycling centre had opened at Badentoy – according to the policy we were too close to the facility to qualify for a local weekly service. Nothing to do with funding. However, council officers now say that “following February’s budget settlement meeting, it has been agreed that the service will operate again this year.”

They also add that there is a more major review underway of the waste management strategy for Aberdeenshire and it may be that the outcome will result in changes in the future. I’ll continue to argue the case for it staying in Newtonhill. Meantime though the garden waste arrangements will continue in Newtonhill.

Portlethen residents are directed to the new household waste and recycling centre at Badentoy for garden waste recycling (open Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Thursday 9am to 4:30pm, Friday 9am to 4pm – closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays).

The council’s garden waste web page has other ideas on how to deal with garden waste, including discounted home composters for residents.

http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/waste/other/garden-waste/