Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) yesterday (30 January) announced that they have added a further £350,000 of investment to the ‘Recycle on the Go’ initiative in order to ‘meet exceptional interest shown by local businesses and organisations’ and provide the country with 2,700 new public recycling bins.
The investment, which now totals £850,000, was first announced in August 2012 in the hopes of encouraging people to recycle away from home and boost Scotland’s chances of meeting their targeted recycling rate of 70 per cent by 2025.
According to ZWS, the bins will be installed in over 250 locations across Scotland and will enable the public to recycle a variety of different materials – including newspapers, plastic bottles and aluminium drinks cans – on the move.
Sites that are set to benefit from the investment include Edinburgh Airport, Nevis Range Mountain Resort, Our Dynamic Earth, Overgate Shopping Centre in Dundee and the University of Strathclyde.
Director of ZWS, Iain Gulland said: “We must stop thinking of used materials, like empty bottles and drinks cans, as waste. There’s real value in the goods we throw away, and the small effort it takes to separate waste for recycling can contribute to economic growth for Scotland.
“These new recycling bins will be in busy, public areas to make it easier for people to recycle on the go.
“We were delighted to extend the funding from £500,000 to £850,000 in order to meet exceptional interest shown by local businesses and organisations, and we urge people across Scotland to make use of these new facilities.”
Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Richard Lochhead added: “Recycling is vital to the economic and environmental future of Scotland so we must make it as easy as possible for people.
“This funding is just one example of our commitment to make the most of Scotland’s valuable resources, and the bins will also contribute to our work to crack down on litter.”
To date, the Recycle on the Go Capital Support Fund has given financial assistance to over 32 projects at public transport sites, tourist attractions, higher education institutions, shopping centres and NHS facilities.
The investment makes up part of £2 million pledged by ZWS to ‘address Scotland’s litter’ and increase recycling.
Read about Zero Waste Scotland and Recycle on the Go
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