Dundee City Council has today (23 March) begun separate collections of food waste and glass as part of its new ‘Recycle for Dundee’ service.

Around 57,000 households in Dundee previously only had monthly collections of paper and cardboard, while a further 16,000 residents could recycle all dry recyclables (i.e. plastic, paper, card, metal and glass) in a 55-litre green recycling box. These collections took place along with weekly collections of residual waste and fortnightly/monthly collections of garden waste (depending on the season).

However, in a bid to boost local recycling rates (the council currently recycles 32 per cent of household waste), the local authority has now rolled out a new service to all householders, comprising:

fortnightly collections of residual waste (in the current, grey wheelie bins)

• a new blue wheelie bin (or blue-lidded communal bin for those in flats) for fortnightly collections of paper, cardboard, plastic, and metals;
• a new wheelie burgundy bin (or a burgundy-lidded communal bin for those in flats) for monthly collections of glass bottles and jars; and
• new caddies for weekly collections of food waste.

As the council is moving to larger, wheeled bins for collecting recycling, those with assisted residual waste collections will also now receive assisted recycling collections.

It is hoped the new arrangements, which will be rolled out in phases over the next two years, will make it easier for all residents to recycle, regardless of where they live or what type of property they live in.

New service is a ‘sensible way forward’

Residents in the Broughty Ferry and West End areas of the city will begin receiving the service from today. Dundee City Council is also hosting information days and roadshows in these areas to further detail the service and answer any questions residents may have.

Dundee City Council’s Environment Convener, Councillor Craig Melville, commented: “I am proud of the long record of recycling that people in Dundee have supported [but] we are now facing new challenges and the dates for meeting national recycling targets are getting ever closer.

“I take the city’s recycling responsibilities very seriously and these new methods of collecting materials for recycling represent a sensible way forward.

“I would encourage people to come along [to the roadshows] and ask questions about any aspect of the improved service. This includes food waste, new ways of collecting material and the changed frequencies of grey bin pick ups.

“There are also new ways of collecting recycling from flatted properties and we have already been talking to residents about this.”

The council has now issued recycling leaflets to residents (including those in communal flats) explaining the new recycling system.

Find out more about Recycle for Dundee.