What happens to your recycling

Plastic and metal containers and cartons go to Wyllie Recycling Ltd, a Scottish family-run firm. The green bin material is taken to Wyllie’s Materials Recovery Facility in Perth where it is sorted into bales of aluminium, steel, HDPE, and PET plastics and recycled to make new bottles and containers within the UK. For more information, read the article: New contract for Highland's mixed plastic and metal containers recycling services.

Paper and card go to Smurfit Westrock’s Glasgow facility, where it is graded and baled, then on to their UK mills to be turned into new packaging. For more information, read the article: New contract for mixed paper and card recycling services for Highland

Food waste goes to Binn Farm in Perthshire, where it’s converted into biogas and organic fertiliser through anaerobic digestion.

There are strict environmental regulations, set out by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), that Council and waste management companies must adhere to, which ensure that the recycling collected can ultimately be put to its intended use – helping to protect the environment, not harm it.

In 2022, approximately 15,700 tonnes of blue bin materials were sent for recycling across the Highland region. At present, approximately 35% of the total waste generated by householders and businesses in the Highland region is recycled.