SCOTLAND: Finnie announces improved recycling facilities for Dundee

Dundee City Council is to receive multi-million pound funding to encourage recycling.

Almost £26 million from the Executive's Strategic Waste Fund will be allocated to the council between now and 2020 to boost recycling and reduce the waste going to landfill.

Environment Minister Ross Finnie said:

"The Executive is committed to transforming the country's record on waste reduction, recyling, composting and recovery. This funding will help ensure many Dundonians have access to recycling facilities.

"Our National Waste Plan, which we are backing with significant resources, is beginning to show a real difference on the ground. Every month, recycling becomes increasingly easier for Scots with new and improved kerbside facilities, recycling bins and other services being provided across the country.

"By providing this substantial long-term funding we are helping Dundee City Council meet their targets for waste minimisation, recycling and reduction in landfill. We are determined to provide Scots with much more sustainable ways of managing their waste."

Details of the funding and work to be undertaken are :

Dundee City Council have been awarded a total of £25,945,500 from the Strategic Waste Fund for financial years 2004/05 to 2019/20.

This award will allow the council to collect paper, steel cans, aluminium cans, glass, plastics and green waste by implementing the following proposals:

an expanded kerbside collection service for recyclable materials;

expansion of the number of bring sites for collecting recyclable materials;

the upgrading of existing recycling centres at Riverside and Baldovie with purpose built facilities based on the recently completed Marchbanks recycling centre; and

a comprehensive programme of waste prevention and minimisation.

Over £230 million in a three year period from 2003 is being invested in the Strategic Waste Fund. These funds are being provided to local authorities to improve recycling and composting facilities.

The National Waste Plan was published on February 24 2003 and sets out the Executive's targets for sustainable waste management until 2020, including plans for segregated kerbside recycling waste collection in nine out of ten Scottish homes.

The encouragement of recycling and waste reduction is a key element of the Executive's Environmental "Do a Little, Change a Lot Campaign". As improved local authority recycling services are rolled out, this will be supplemented by local public awareness campaigns.