North Lanarkshire Council has announced the start date for its new recycling initiatives and accompanying changes to its bin collection system.

 

From Monday 2 June, residents in the North and Central areas will be asked to start using their blue recycling bins for the disposal of plastic food containers and bottles; steel, aluminium and empty aerosol cans; textiles; newspapers, magazines, telephone directories and junk mail; tetrapak cartons (eg juice and milk cartons); clean aluminium foil and both plain and corrugated cardboard. 

 

Residents in the South areas will not come into the new scheme until the 25 August. This is to allow time for the first phase to bed down, and to address any initial teething problems – although the council is not expecting many.

 

"We're carrying out a huge communications campaign to tell residents how the new scheme will work," said Councillor Helen McKenna, Convener of the Environmental Services Committee. "Our education officers are making home visits, and other officers have been meeting with community representatives across North Lanarkshire.

 

"Roadshows will be taking place across the North and Central areas in the coming weeks, which will extend that campaign and give residents the opportunity to put their questions to our officers. And we're about to launch a special page on our website that will provide residents with everything they need to know.

 

"So far the feedback we're getting is very positive – residents appear to understand how the new scheme works and are in general very supportive of it. They accept that we must recycle more, and once we have addressed their specific concerns, they agree that this scheme is the best way to achieve that."

 

Residents in the North and Central areas should not use their blue bins for anything other than paper until Monday 2 June. Similarly, residents in the South should continue to use their bins as normal until Monday 25 August. In the meantime the council will continue to issue information and to work with residents to ensure the new scheme is implemented and delivered as smoothly as possible.

 

More information can be obtained from the council's environmental helpline on 01698 403110.