The amount of food waste being recycled in Inverness is on the rise since Highland Council added a fifth bin to city households.
Major changes to the way the council handles bin collections were rolled out in the Highland capital earlier this year.
The changes have now come into force for every house in Inverness and in a few weeks, every flat in the city will have been included too.
A review of the service will be carried out at the end of the summer but so far, the council says the signs are promising.
A spokesman said: “The rollout of the new waste and recycling service is going well.
“Householder participation in the food waste collection service is very high. And the tonnages collected to date are extremely encouraging.”
What has changed with recycling in Inverness?
The new general waste bins given to homes are much smaller than the old ones, with a 140 litre capacity instead of 240.
Recycling has been split into two types.
Your old green bin, formerly used for landfill, is now for “mixed containers”.
That means plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, as well as cans, tins, foil and cartons.
The old blue bin is now purely for paper and card.
Highland Council issued a leaflet to every home when it delivered the new bins. It explains what should and shouldn’t go into each.
That prompted some backlash on social media, with people accusing the local authority of over-complicating things.
But those worries appear to be unfounded, according to an early assessment of the service.
A council spokesman said the new recycling collections are being closely monitored to ensure the right things are going in the bins.
He added: “Early indications from the data are looking positive, with a reduction in contamination levels from both the paper and card recycling stream and the mixed plastic and metal containers recycling stream.
“All householders were provided with a detailed recycling guide explaining which items should be placed in each bin, along with a detailed collection calendar.
“This has been supported by a dedicated information page on the council’s website.”
Why has recycling changed in Inverness?
The changes have been funded by a £6.5m investment from the Scottish Government.
Modernising recycling is considered a priority. The money put aside for it at least means it hasn’t directly led to an increase in council tax.
Councillor Graham Mackenzie leads the local authority’s communities and place committee, which is overseeing the changes.
He said: “We have made a commitment to reduce the amount of non-recyclable waste sent for disposal and increase the amount recycled.
“These changes will help make it easier for the public to recycle more, helping them to reduce their impact on the environment.”
Across the Highlands, more than 20,000 households are being added to the food waste collection service this year.
Previously, this was only available in Inverness, but participation was patchy.
The smaller landfill bin is designed to encourage more people to use their food waste bins in the city.
So far, that strategy appears to be working.
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