South Ayrshire - 3 Bin Scheme
posted in Case Studies |South Ayrshire implements new system for uplifting household waste.
From February 2004 a new system for the collection of household waste will be phased in across South Ayrshire.
Why is this being done? The simple answer is that the European Union Landfill Directive requires a reduction of the amount of waste that is being disposed of by landfill, and the only way to achieve this is to radically change the way waste is disposed of.
Funds received from the Scottish Executive’s Strategic Waste Fund are being used to finance the implementation of new systems for collecting waste, the total amount of funding received is £19.623 million up to the year 2020.
The three Ayrshire Councils, Dumfries and Galloway Council, and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) have developed an Area Waste Plan. In line with European legislation the Plan outlines ways to meet the challenge of reducing the amount of waste that is disposed of in landfill sites, from the current 95%, to less than 50% by 2020.
South Ayrshire Council aims to achieve this objective by introducing what is termed the ‘3 bin system’ for household waste. In addition it is proposed to offer a service to householders that will enable them to have used glass uplifted from the kerbside outside their home using a plastic box.
Speaking about the new household waste collection system, Leader of South Ayrshire Council, Councillor Andy Hill said: “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - that is the only way forward for the people of South Ayrshire, everyone has to get their household waste sorted.
“The government has made it quite clear that every Council, including South Ayrshire, has to change the way it deals with waste. Currently 92% of the waste collected by this Council goes to landfill sites. The system is being phased in across South Ayrshire in order to make the transition from one collection system to another as smooth as possible.”
South Ayrshire Council’s Leader Andy Hill, Provost Gordon McKenzie, Councillor Alex Cairns and Councillor David Duncan with the new Wheelie Bins.
Household Waste - “The 3 Bin System” - An explanation
Each householder with a wheeled bin will receive a blue bin and those with a garden will receive a brown bin. These will be 240 litre capacity, as supplied by Plastic Omnium Urban Systems. A black box will also be provided to each household.
The current green bin is for general domestic refuse.
The blue bin is for papers, magazines, cans, cardboard and plastic bottles.
The brown bin is for organic garden waste.
The black box is for glass bottles and jars.
The contents of the blue bin will be processed at a materials recycling facility and the wastes passed on for recycling.
The contents of the brown bin will be processed at a centralised composting facility and the compost utilised for landscaping, derelict land re-development, agriculture, or for sale.
The housing stock in South Ayrshire also lends itself to a wheeled bin type of
recycling service and it is estimated that over 90% of houses will be able to accommodate the system. For those remaining, 10% of houses, an alternative type of kerbside recycling service will be offered, e.g. survival bags, a box collection or other appropriate method.
3 Bin System - Brown Bin
The brown bin is very different from the green and blue bins, but why?
This bin, Plastic Omnium’s Citybac Bio, is the one in which householders should place all biodegradable waste, such as grass cuttings, hedge trimmings, leaves, and cut flowers.
When all the biodegradable waste rots down it provides compost that can be placed back onto the land to act as a feed and a mulch. To obtain the best quality compost the conditions have to be right, and that is why South Ayrshire Council has selected this particular design of bin.
The brown bin has holes for aeration in the sides. This allows sufficient oxygen to interact with the contents of the bin, and aids the start of the composting process. There is a grid at the bottom of the bin that allows any water to drain down the inside of the bin. Finally the top is ventilated to allow water vapour to evaporate and preventing the loss of waste volume.
The design of the brown bin means that waste placed in it can start composting down even before it leaves the residents’ property. In fact, Plastic Omnium’s Citybac Bio reduces mass by more than 25%.
Another benefit of this bin is that the aeration holes provide an environment conducive to the development of a good compost.
Rolling out the bins
Residents of Troon, Dundonald, Symington, Monkton, Tarbolton and Loans will be the first people to take part in the new system in February 2004. It is anticipated that all householders in South Ayrshire will have their waste collected under the new system by March 2005.
The phased rollout programme will commence in the north area of the Council and work gradually towards the south area. Each phase involves incorporating two existing domestic collection routes - approximately 10,000 properties.
Douglas Gardiner, Councillor John Knapp, Councillor James Carmichael.
From this spring, people living in East Ayrshire will be able to start recycling from home with the introduction of a new kerbside recycling system. This new initiative will be phased in from April 2004 and all households in East Ayrshire will be included in the new service by autumn 2005.
Following the largest consumer waste survey ever conducted in Scotland, East Ayrshire Council has devised a new system for collecting waste which will allow householders to recycle paper, cardboard, glass and cans, as well as organic garden waste, using a three bin & kerbside box collection system.
This new system will also help the Council to meet the ambitious targets aimed at reducing the amount of rubbish going to landfill sites, which have been demanded by both the European Union and our own Government.
The new system will mean that in addition to the existing wheeled bin, which in future is to be used for waste that cannot be recycled, a blue bin will also be supplied for paper and cardboard. Households which produce garden waste will also be supplied with a brown bin, which has been specially designed for the collection of biodegradable waste. Every household will also receive a black box, which can be stored indoors or out, to collect glass bottles and jars along with steel and aluminium cans and this will be collected every fortnight.
As extra bins and boxes are delivered, residents will receive a guide, which will explain the new system of waste collection, as well as a calendar detailing
collection dates and times.
It has also been recognized that there are some households that will not be able to store the additional two bins, such as some flats or terraced houses, but alternative arrangements are being put in place so that these households can also recycle their waste. With paper and card making up 34% of household waste in East Ayrshire and glass accounting for another 9%, there is now plenty of scope for recycling from home and the new scheme leaves no excuse for not recycling a large proportion of household waste.