FEATURE: Inconvenient Urban Recycling

Last year I was overjoyed to find out that, as part of a Waste Awareness Campaign, Aberdeen was to roll out their recycling scheme throughout the city.

Originally set up in February 2004, Aberdeen City Council introduced a fortnightly kerbside collection scheme to 20,000 households in the north of the city. Households in this area could recycle cans, glass, plastic bottles, cardboard and paper from their own doorstep.

Each household was provided with a black box to recycle cans, glass and plastic bottles, a white bag for cardboard and paper and a guide detailing collection dates and ‘how to’ recycle.
The scheme has since been rolled out to cover most of the city and today the collection helps 80,000 households recycle.

Unfortunately my home is not one of those covered by the scheme. I live in the city centre, metres away from the main shopping thoroughfare and transport links. I see the recycling van pass my flat on a weekly basis and yet if I want to recycle I have to make my way to the local tip – by car. According to the council the reason my home isn’t included in the scheme is because I live in a flat with a communal bin store. The communal store means they won’t make a collection!

If I want to recycle I have to do it myself.

Thanks to the efforts of householders throughout Aberdeen City, nearly 130 tonnes of cans, glass, plastic bottles, cardboard and paper are now being recycled using the kerbside-recycling scheme. Fantastic but surely more can be done. Communal recycling bins are being introduced in some parts of the city for those who aren’t serviced by the doorstep scheme but as yet I haven’t seen one in my area.

Until then I will have to continue taking papers and carrier bags to recycling points when I do my weekly shop and sneaking plastic bottles and milk cartons in to the ‘white bag’ at work.
In the meantime if you want to know the journey your rubbish goes on once you recycle click here.

Until next time, be as green as you can be

Paula

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