There 's so much you can recycle - Argyll and Bute Council

IntroductionFirstly we’d like to say a big thank you for yourefforts to recycle. We’re doing really well…Argyll and Bute currently recycles or composts 42% of householdwaste from the Helensburgh and Lomond area – but we have todo more. The Scottish Government has set us a challenge to recycle50% by 2013 and 60% by 2020 and, also by 2020, it will beillegal in Scotland to send food waste to landfill. In addition,the cost of disposing of waste in landfill sites is increasing whichis an added burden to council tax payers.Recycling more food waste is especially important as Scottishhouseholds throw out 570,000 tonnes of food waste each yearand collecting and disposing of it costs councils an estimated£85 million a year. The environmental cost is also high as a result of:• all the energy involved with producing, transporting, packagingand storing the food; and• methane, a damaging greenhouse gas, emitted from the wastedfood rotting in landfill sites.To meet this challenge Argyll and Bute Council is encouragingpeople to recycle more material more often so we not only maintainbut improve our recycling record. Collecting and putting your foodwaste out for recycling is really quite easy and this guide will showyou how.Remember every newspaper, tin or scrap of food can berecycled.This booklet will guide you through the bins and collections thatArgyll and Bute Council provides, explaining how to use your foodwaste collection caddy, what materials should be put into each binand answers any questions that you may have about your recyclingservices.Working towards a Zero Waste Scotland.3