Has Angus taken its ‘eye off the ball’ on recycling?

Angus Council’s place in Scotland’s recycling league table will be reported annually after a claim the area has taken its “eye off the ball” on the issue.

Waste bosses have been asked to make yearly updates on household and overall recycling rates.

The councillor behind the call hopes it will make the authority more accountable to local residents.

Angus slips down recycling table

In 2016, Angus was Scotland’s top recycling council after regularly challenging the top spot.

But last year it dropped to seventh in the table of the nation’s 32 local authorities.

A recycled waste figure of 52.1% was still well ahead of the 43.5% national average.

Arbroath West, Letham and Friockheim Conservative councillor Jack Cruickshanks requested yearly reporting of the data during the latest full Angus Council meeting.

It came during discussion of the council’s climate change report.

The paper highlighted efforts around areas including emissions and nature-based sustainability.

It featured some data, including a 2022 household recycling rate of 51.7%. The area’s carbon dioxide equivalent figure of 104,113 tonnes was the tenth lowest in Scotland.

A landfill rate of 1.9% in the same year was the third lowest in Scotland.

But the report also revealed the amount of waste recycled at local skip sites dipped slightly last year.

‘Eye off the ball’ on recycling

Mr Cruickshanks hopes making the information public will help residents engage on the issue of recycling, and make the council more accountable.

His amendment also sought five-year trend analysis of overall and household data. It was unanimously agreed by councillors.

He said: “It’s unacceptable the SNP have taken their eye off the ball on recycling.

“Angus used to be the best in Scotland, but now we’re falling behind.

“Well, the days of decline are over.

“I’m committed to delivering the transparency and accountability needed to drive real progress on sustainability.

“The people of Angus deserve nothing less than excellence, and that’s exactly what the Angus Conservatives will deliver.”

Kerbside recycling changes

Mr Cruickshanks’ move comes as the next stage of a kerbside recycling roll-out is under way in Forfar and Kirriemuir.

Households there have been given blue-coloured bins for card and paper. Bottles and jars must now be taken to local glass recycling points.

The new scheme, which will cover the whole of Angus by next year, aims to improve recycling rates and save hundreds of thousands of pounds annually.