Recycling bins shake-up for Highland households

Some Highland households could end up with five different rubbish bins as part of a shake-up of waste collections.

Highland Council said it was making the changes in an effort to boost recycling.

Thousands of homes, mostly in Inverness and larger towns, already have four bins - general refuse, mixed recycling, food and garden waste.

Under the shake-up, different types of recycling are to be separated and disposed of in two existing bins, while a new bin is to be provided for general waste.

The changes are to be phased in over the course of this year and 2025, starting with about 15,000 households in Dornoch and Ross and Cromarty in April.

They will also get a weekly food waste recycling service for the first time.

Their existing green and blue bins are to be used for recycling, and they will get a new bin for general waste.

The proposed rollout for the changes are:

• Nairn - May

• Inverness - May/June

• Badenoch and Strathspey - August

• Caithness - September

• Sutherland - October/November

• Skye and Lochalsh - February 2025

• Lochaber - April/May 2025

Highland Council said each of the recycling bins would be collected every four weeks, while general rubbish collections would continue on a fortnightly basis.

Food waste uplift will remain weekly.

Communities and place committee chairman Graham Mackenzie said the changes would make recycling easier.

He added: “Residents are urged to look out for their letters and to keep a note of the important dates when the changes will be implemented."

The council has received Scottish government funding to help cover costs.

For some households, including thousands in Inverness, the changes will result in five bins:

• Green or grey bin (currently used for refuse) - Plastics, metals and food cartons

• Blue (currently mixed recycling) - Paper and cardboard

• New non-recycle waste bin

• Brown - garden waste

• Silver caddy - food waste