INVERCLYDE residents and council staff have been praised for achieving some of the best recycling rates in Scotland.
A study by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) found that the district is in the top five best performing local authority areas in the country for recycling.
More than half — 53.1 per cent — of municipal waste is reused or repurposed, around 14,000 tonnes.
The high rate means Inverclyde consistently generates the least amount of household waste per person than anywhere else in Scotland.
The SEPA report also revealed that the area is leading the way with the lowest household carbon impact in the country with a tonnes-of-carbon-dioxide (CO2) rate per person of 0.71 compared with the national average of 0.96.
Inverclyde has historically performed well with recycling but the council has made further improvements, including expanding the kerbside household service and becoming one of the first local authority areas in Scotland to end biodegradable waste being sent to landfill.
Councillor Michael McCormick, Inverclyde Council’s convener of environment and regeneration, said: “To have some of the best recycling rates in the country is something we should be proud of.
“It’s down to the hard work of council staff who are committed to making it as easy as possible to recycle at home and at our recycling centres, and the commitment from residents.
“But we never rest on our laurels and are always looking to make further improvements in line with the council’s net-zero strategy and ambitions.
“We’ve seen good examples of that in the last couple of years with the expansion of the blue bin kerbside recycling service and partnership with a new contractor that means biodegradable waste is no longer sent to landfill and is instead either reused or used to create energy for homes.
“These are positive steps towards reducing waste and supporting a circular economy.”
Last year, the council expanded the kerbside household recycling service to some 4,000 largely tenement properties to make it even easier for residents to recycle and this was done in partnership with Zero Waste Scotland.
In 2024, the local authority signed a new long term contract with leading waste management company Viridor to ensure waste is either recycled, reused or turned into energy to power homes and in doing so became one of the first council areas in Scotland to stop sending biodegradable waste to landfill.
