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Arran residents can now safely recycle more household goods than ever before.
Following the successful introduction of the black and blue wheelie bins North Ayrshire Council has signed up to the WEEE system of recycling.
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) system involves separating electrical material into five categories.
NAC waste awareness officer Brodie Pearcey told the Banner: ‘Householders are requested to telephone the local council office in Lamlash to book in their electrical waste.
‘They should give a brief description of the goods and then arrange to bring them to the transfer station in Market Road the following day.
‘We will do a collection service if necessary but it is really designed for people to come in to the station themselves. Our guys will have a list of the booked items when they arrive and can help to offload them into the correct container.’
There are five categories of electrical waste and five containers at the Market Road depot. Inside the compound there are four white metal containers labelled ‘fridges and freezers’, ‘large electrical appliances’ such as washing machines, ‘appliances larger than a microwave’ and ‘appliances smaller than a microwave’.
The fifth container is a simple black bin for light bulbs and light tubes.
Brodie said: ‘Fridges and freezers will be decommissioned as they have been in the past. All the electronics that can be re-used are taken out of equipment. This system is happening across the country. It is helping to reduce what goes to landfill sites.’
An NAC spokesman said: ‘If residents want to guarantee an item is placed in the WEEE waste stream then they need to book it into the transfer station by telephoning the local office. If they put the item in their black residual bin then it cannot be separated out.’
Brodie Pearcey confirmed that the blue bin system was being well used on Arran.
He said: ‘There has been a steady increase in the amount of waste in blue bins and a similar decrease in the amount in the black bins. I have made a particular effort to contact holiday home owners to make sure they understand the system and inform holidaymakers what to do with their waste.’
The waste transfer station in Market Road is open for delivery of electrical waste from 9am to 3pm on weekdays and from 9am to 1pm on Saturdays.
