The Highland Council has been presented with a prestigious award following success across its waste and recycling, fleet, and grounds management services.
At the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) Scotland Striving for Excellence Awards, the local authority won the Gold Award in the Waste and Recycling Category.
The accolade was given to the council in recognition of its ‘transformation of waste and recycling collections’, supporting its advancement towards meeting local and national recycling targets.
In a statement yesterday, the council confirmed that its achievements had been possible due to the £7.1m funding boost it was awarded through the Scottish Government’s Recycling Improvement Fund in 2023.
Among the triumphs of its programme were the provision of seven new food waste collection vehicles, the supply and delivery of 140,000 new grey non-recyclable waste bins for householders, and the switch from kerbside to twin stream recycling collections.
According to the council, it has seen around 2,500 tonnes of food waste diverted away from disposal since April 2024, as well as having experienced ‘significant gains’ in decreased contamination in kerbside recycling collections.
Cllr 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.’
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