Highland Council’s Waste Services Team has won the Gold Award in the Waste and Recycling category at this year’s APSE Scotland Striving for Excellence Awards.
The awards recognise the achievements of local authorities in Scotland and celebrate those exceeding expectations within waste and recycling, parks, fleet and grounds management services.
The APSE award recognised the transformation of waste and recycling collections across the region, which aims to accelerate the Council’s progress towards achieving both local and national recycling targets and was made possible by a £7.1 million funding package from the Scottish Government’s Recycling Improvement Fund.
The secured external investment provided the funding needed to deliver a series of interdependent projects, each playing a vital role in transforming waste and recycling services across the region which included:
- The supply and delivery of 140,000 new grey non-recyclable waste bins for householders
- Expansion of the weekly food waste service to another 30,000 households in parts of Easter Ross, Nairn and Inverness
- Kerbside recycling collections were switched to twin stream recycling to improve the quality of the material collected by households
- Modifications to Waste Transfer Stations in Portree and Caithness to accept twin stream recycling material.
- The supply and delivery of twin stream recycling bins for all Highland Council business waste customers.
- Provision of seven new food waste collection vehicles.
Councillor Graham MacKenzie, Chair of Highland Council’s Communities and Place Committee, said: “This was an ambitious project delivering significant environmental benefits for communities across the Highland region. I am delighted to see the team receive the Gold Award from APSE in recognition of their expertise and hard work. The latest waste data figures further reflect the success, resulting in a reduction of approximately 7,800 tonnes of non-recyclable waste collected at the kerbside and sent for disposal since the introduction of the new services in 2024.”
The amount of food waste collected for recycling has also increased with approximately 2,500 tonnes of food waste diverted away from disposal since April 2024.
Significant gains have also been achieved through reduced contamination rates in kerbside recycling collections, resulting in an additional 3,400 tonnes of recyclable material successfully processed at recycling facilities.
Textile recycling has also seen an increase in Highland with 1,275 tonnes recycled at the textile banks – an increase of approximately 350 tonnes since the changes to collections. Textiles such as clothing are responsible for the highest proportion of carbon emissions from our household waste in Scotland, accounting for 32% of the carbon impacts.
Cllr MacKenzie continued: “This is an excellent result and demonstrates the public have certainly embraced the changes to their waste and recycling services by adapting to the new collection system. My thanks go to everyone for their recycling efforts – it really is making a difference.”
The Council’s recycling rate for 2025 is 45.1%, representing a 7.5% increase since 2021. This improvement is largely attributed to the changes implemented in both household and business kerbside collection services over the last two years.
Imogen Percy-Bell, Principal Waste Management Officer, said: “I am really pleased that this project has delivered what we set out to achieve, significantly improving our recycling performance and reducing waste sent for disposal. Receiving a Gold Award from APSE provides the recognition to the entire Waste Services team across the region who were collectively committed and dedicated to ensuring we delivered the program successfully.
“Highland Council now has a modernised, high-quality kerbside waste and recycling service, that not only aligns with future national waste policy, but also demonstrates innovation to overcome geographical and financial challenges, placing the region in an excellent position to start the transition towards a circular economy.”
The Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) is a not-for-profit local government body working with over 300 councils throughout the UK to promote excellence in public services.
To find out about the recycling services in your area, please visit, Household bin collections – Highland Council
Garden waste permits for the 2026 permit season go on sale from 1 June 2026. The cost of an annual permit has been frozen at £48.95. To buy a permit, visit http://www.highland.gov.uk/gardenwaste