Angus is set to bring in major changes to its refuse collection service in a scheme aimed at helping the county meet government green targets.
In a trial which will begin in September and involve 5,000 households in the south of the region, existing grey wheelie bins will become recycling containers and be replaced with smaller bins for general waste.
Neighbourhood services councillors this week approved the trial in parts of Carnoustie and Arbroath, as well as a collection route covering the rural areas of Ballumbie, Wellbank, Kellas, Bucklehead, Newbigging and Monikie.
The trial will get under way on September 17 when residents will be asked to use their grey bin currently used for residual waste for collection of glass, mixed plastics, cans, paper and cardboard.
A smaller purple bin for residual waste and a food waste bin will be supplied, as well as a small kitchen caddy, also for food waste. The green bin collection for garden waste will remain unchanged.
Collection frequencies for general waste will remain fortnightly, alternating with the green bin collection for garden waste as at present.
The new dry recyclables collection will be collected fortnightly, and food waste will be collected weekly.
The council has said all households involved in the trial will be issued with full details and collection information about the new system.
As part of the trial, which is expected to last between six and 12 months, one area in Arbroath will retain the green-box collection for separate collection of glass only.
To carry out the trial, the local authority is spending more than £400,000 on new vehicles and bins, along with estimated and ongoing annual running costs of almost £300,000.
A warning has also already been issued that mixing recyclates in the wheelie bins will increase the chances of cross-contamination and potentially reduce the market value of the authority’s recyclable waste.
Officials say the moves are required to take the county towards waste reduction targets and comply with changing legislation.
Those include the landfill tax escalator which is due to rise at £8 a year until 2014/15, taking it to £80 a tonne.
The authority has also found its existing 55-litre green box to be short of capacity and limited in suitability for some of the district’s rural and flatted areas.
Community councils will be consulted in the lead-up to the trial launch and a household survey is being mounted both before and after the roll-out to gauge public attitudes towards the kerbside services.
Quantitative data on the average weight collected for recycling per household will then also be used to assess the trial.
Angus neighbourhood services convener Councillor Donald Morrison said: ”Since the trial was approved by committee in February, we have been planning for the roll-out in September.
”For operational reasons, the trial will cover areas serviced by the Arbroath depot, and we’ve included a good mix of town and rural areas, and different types of housing.
”The proposed changes to the kerbside collection system will allow householders to recycle or compost a far greater proportion of their waste via their kerbside collections, significantly reducing the amount of waste we send to landfill in Angus.”