Shetland Islands Council is launching a new trial to further boost recycling rates.
Shetland Islands Council is launching a new trial to further boost recycling rates. The bright pink collection bins are for small electrical items such as toothbrushes, toasters and kettles that cannot be reused or repaired.
Every year the Council recycles about 230 tonnes of electrical equipment, or about 37 trailers of items, sent to a centre in Irvine. The 20 bins will sit alongside existing glass recycling points and will be collected on a regular basis. Any electronic items that are still in good order can be taken to re-use centres like scrap stores.
Brydon Gray, Team Leader of Waste Operations, says: “Bins like these have been a real success in other areas of Scotland. The bright pink bins are eye-catching, and we hope they offer more flexibility for people to recycle in their communities.
“We’ve been recycling electrical items in Shetland for several years and a huge number of items are brought to the waste management facility at Gremista.
“But we want to capture more. Pretty much anything with a plug can be recycled. From stereos to slow cookers, vacuum cleaners to washing machines. These smaller bins will hopefully mean we can capture more of the goods that end up in people’s black bags which go on to the incinerators.
“We continue to offer a bulky uplift service for where folk can pay for bigger items to be collected. If the trial proves to be a success, the Council will look to expand the service to other areas.”