East Ren says recycle on the go

The new bins correspond with recycling at home, with specific sections for paper, glass, cans, plastics and general litter.

Councillor Vincent Waters, environment convener, said: “East Renfrewshire has one of the top recycling rates in the country and now we are enabling people to contribute even further towards that with these new on the go bins.

“I urge people to use them properly so that more materials can be recycled.”

The aim is to up East Renfrewshire’s recycling rates, to reach a target of 70 per cent (from the current 56%) by 2025.

But the new public bins also follow controversy over at home recycling facilities. As reported in The Extra, more than 2,300 people took to Facebook in January to ask ERC to swap recycling bags for bins, followed by a petition with more than 1,000 signatures.

Then, a representative of the Get East Renfrewshire Recycling Bins Facebook page commented: “The bags just don’t hold up to Scottish weather and many residents are even finding glass spilling out and smashing on the street.

“The ideal solution would be blue bins, as used by other councils - but I’m sure there are other, better options than the bags currently provided.

The council’s 40 new bins and a mini kerbside lorry were funded by Zero Waste Scotland - Charlie Devine, head of resource management, said: “It means people can keep up their good recycling habits when they’re out and about. It also gives people the option to dispose of items that might otherwise end up as litter in a responsible way.”

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