Collection of the new bins that are coming to every household in the Highlands has started in Easter Ross.
There are major changes coming to the way recycling and landfill bins are handled in the north.
Properties in Ross and Cromarty are leading the way this month, and Nairn will follow next month.
The Inverness roll-out begins in late May and will take around seven weeks to complete, meaning that every home in the Highland capital should be on the new system by the end of July.
It’s a big project. But Highland Council says it’s been smooth sailing so far.
Here’s what you need to know about it.
Why is the Highland bins system changing?
The simple reason is to increase the amount of waste that is being recycled.
The council has received £6.5m from the Scottish Government’s recycling improvement fund to modernise collections.
In addition to the extra recycling bin, thousands of households in the Highlands will be given a food waste bin for the first time.
Food waste can be an even bigger contributor to climate change than plastic waste.
Figures from Zero Waste Scotland show sending just a single kilogram of food waste to landfill produces the same carbon emissions as landfilling 25,000 500ml plastic bottles.
How many bins will I have?
By mid-2025, many households will have five.
Your current green bin will be repurposed for recycling.
It will be for “mixed containers” – which means plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, as well as cans, tins, foil and cartons.
Your blue bin will now be for paper and card.
Keeping that separate from containers will make it easier for the council to sort your recycling.
The new bin is grey, and will be for general waste.
But instead of the standard wheelie bin size – 240 litres – this one will be 140 litres if you’ve already got a food waste collection bin or 180 litres if you don’t.
The theory is that giving people more room to recycle will encourage them to throw away less waste to landfill.
There are no changes to the brown bin garden waste service.
Before this month, only households in Inverness had a food waste bin.
14,500 properties in Ross and Cromarty have now joined the scheme, Nairn will follow next month and it’ll be widespread by next summer.
How has the bins switchover been going so far?
According to the council, it’s all progressing as planned so far.
Councillor Graham MacKenzie said: “I am pleased to see the roll out of the new bins going smoothly and on schedule across Ross and Cromarty.
“Residents are urged to look out for their new bins arriving and to read the booklet and calendar that accompanies them.
“These have the important information you need to know about when your new collections starts and what to put in each bin.”
After the Inverness roll-out ends in July, Badenoch and Strathspey will be next in August.
Caithness will follow in September and Sutherland in October/November.
Skye and Lochalsh will see the changes in February 2025. Lochaber will be the last to move across in April/May 2025.
Conversation