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Moray recycling scheme
03/09/2007
Moray residents were today urged to continue their efforts to recycle their waste.
Speaking today at an Open Day for Moray Reach-Out 'Waste Watchers' project in Buckie, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment Richard Lochhead said:
"The Scottish recycling and composting rate is now over 25 per cent, which is an impressive increase from just five per cent in 1999, but we need to do more. Moray is an excellent example of how people power can act to dramatically increase recycling.
"The Moray area is doing well by national standards and is currently managing to recycle over 34 per cent. This is thanks not just to projects like 'Waste Watchers' can recycling project, but to every householder and local business who makes the effort to use the recycling services provided by the council. We still have a lot of work to do to carry on increasing recycling and, more important still, to achieve our other common goals of reducing and reusing waste too.
"We have to make further improvements to our recycling rates in order to meet EU targets to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. We are also committed to aspiring to achieving a zero waste Scotland and want to reduce the amount of waste created in the first place wherever possible."
The Cabinet Secretary was speaking at the Moray Reach-Out 'Waste Watchers' Open Day, in Buckie. At this event, the Cabinet Secretary presented certificates to 18 trainees operating Moray Reach-Out's can recycling operation. Moray Reach-Out is a community recycling organisation, engaged in recycling cans and aluminium foil. They provide training and work experience for people with learning disabilities.
The most recent published Scottish recycling rates can be found on the Scottish Environment Protection Agency's website
Moray's published rate is 34.2 per cent.