People who refuse to recycle their glass are effectively binning £200,000 of taxpayers’ cash a year, it has been claimed.
Despite having one of the highest recycling rates in Scotland, there is concern in Perth and Kinross that too much glass is destined for landfill after being mixed with general waste.
Swingeing landfill taxes can arise if too much rubbish is disposed of in this way and environment convener Councillor Alan Grant visited the “glass mountain” at the Friarton recycling centre in Perth to highlight the issue.
He praised householders for their dedication in other areas, but encouraged more people to drop off their glass containers at recycling centres and points, saving costs and allowing more cash to be put to other uses.
He said, “It is estimated by British Glass that the average UK household uses 331 glass bottles and jars every year. Unfortunately, only around half of these are recycled.
“In Perth and Kinross, this means that every year around 2700 tonnes of glass goes into general waste bins for disposal in landfill.
“The cost of this to the council is estimated at £189,000, which in the present financial climate could be put to better use in other ways.”
Glass can be constantly recycled and containers made from recycled glass are of the same quality as those made from new raw materials.
The latest figures, released earlier this month, show Perth and Kinross Council achieved a 4.8% increase in recycling from April, 2009 to March this year, from 37.6% to 42.4%.
A total of 95,201 tonnes of waste was collected, compared to 98,375 last year, and landfill decreased from 60,625 tonnes to 54,208.