This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Waste Aware Fife scheme rolled out
11/08/2003
The full roll-out of the Waste Aware Fife Campaign and the phased roll-out of kerbside paper recycling for 54,000 householders in West Fife were announced today.
Both Fife Council initiatives are funded through a £5.4 million award from the Executive's Strategic Waste Fund.
Environment Minister Ross Finnie, after a meeting with some recycling householders in Fife, said:
"Each household in Fife produces more than a tonne of waste each year. Fife had one of the lowest recycling figures in Scotland but I am pleased to hear that recent estimates suggest the figure in now 15 per cent.
"We all produce waste so we all have a responsibility for it. In the past it has been all too easy and cheap to send our rubbish to landfill. We now have to start looking at alternatives.
"Recycling has many benefits. It can save money and prevent useful materials being wasted while protecting our environment. In addition to the financial and environmental benefits, recycling also creates jobs.
"By providing funds to help councils put the Area Waste Plans into practice we are ensuring the delivery of our targets for waste minimisation, recycling and the reduction in landfill."
Waste Aware Fife is a joint initiative between the Executive, Fife Council, Scottish Waste Awareness Group and Smith Anderson. It asks all householders to Take a Pride in Fife and to Reduce, Re-use and Recycle their waste.
The Kerbside Paper recycling scheme will see blue recycle bins provided to 54,000 householders by November this year. It is estimated that the scheme will remove 15,600 tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste from landfill.
The Scottish Waste Awareness Group (SWAG) is a Scotland-wide initiative aimed at the general public to raise the awareness of waste issues.
The Strategic Waste Fund has £230 million available for local authorities to achieve the National recycling and composting target of 25 per cent of municipal solid waste by 2006. The award of £5.4 million was made to Fife Council in July 2003.