The results are in from a public survey about the future of recycling and waste services in Aberdeenshire. At the moment the recycling rate is 43.5%, and a new recycling and waste strategy is being developed. A full public consultation will take place in the autumn.
Almost 4,000 survey responses were received – here’s a summary of what residents said, which is feeding into the development of the new draft strategy:
• 75% put their food waste bin out for collection weekly or every second time. 19% never use their food waste bin. Only 28% fully use their weekly food waste bin capacity (or require a second bin).
• 88% put their blue recycling bin out for collection every time. 59% already fully use their weekly recycling bin capacity (or require a second bin).
• 90% put their landfill bin out for every collection. Half manage with 3/4 or less of their weekly landfill bin capacity, and 28% even with less than half a bin.
• Respondents were unhappy about being asked to give a preference for a smaller landfill bin, less frequent landfill bin collections or both, despite being given the reasons for such a change and the question having been specifically worded as ‘if you had to choose one of the options’. 7% felt so strongly about this they refused to provide an answer and finished the survey at this point. Of those who did provide an answer (if only to be able to move to the next question), 69% preferred a smaller landfill bin, 26% preferred less frequent collections and 5% both.
• More than 1,700 suggestions for new glass recycling points were received – these are being followed up with a view to installation in communities.
• 68% preferred the currently available ways to recycle their garden waste (composting at home, taking garden waste to recycling centres and seasonal village garden waste collection points). Only 16% preferred to reduce the frequency of landfill bin collection to accommodate kerbside garden waste collections using the same vehicles and 11% a chargeable opt-in kerbside garden waste collection.
You can see all of the survey results here: http://bit.ly/BRSRes