Dumfries and Galloway Council Secures £2.3 Million Scottish Government Funding for Kerbside Garden Waste Recycling Scheme

Dumfries and Galloway Council is thrilled to announce the successful grant funding of a £2,331,405 capital grant from the Scottish Government’s Recycling Improvement Fund, administered by Zero Waste Scotland. This substantial funding will facilitate the launch of a new kerbside garden waste recycling scheme across the region.

The funding is allocated for the purchase of six refuse collection vehicles, 32,000 wheeled bins, and the procurement and installation of garden waste bays at the Annan and Castle Douglas Waste Transfer Stations.

As agreed at the council’s Communities Committee on 4 June 2024, the new service will commence on 1 March 2025. This opt-in service will offer fortnightly kerbside collection of garden waste from 1 March to 30 November each year. Residents can subscribe to the service for an annual fee of £40 per bin, with a 50% discount available for those receiving Council Tax reduction.

This grant will support the council’s ambitions to increase recycling rates and provide an additional valuable service to the residents of Dumfries and Galloway.

Gail Macgregor, Leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council, commented: “I am delighted that Dumfries and Galloway Council has been successful in its bid to the Scottish Government’s Recycling Improvement Fund to allow the implementation of a kerbside garden waste collection service.

“This grant funding of £2,331,405 will support our ambitions to reduce the volume of waste in the general waste bin and increase recycling rates. Residents of our region have told us they are in support of a garden waste recycling scheme and this investment will make that a reality.

“Our officers are already working with our dedicated workforce to make sure everything is in place, so we are ready to start collections from March 2025.”

Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy Gillian Martin said: “Our Recycling Improvement Fund offers local authorities the chance to modernise their local recycling facilities and infrastructure and increase local recycling rates by making it easier for households to recycle their waste.

“While we have made significant long-term improvements on recycling, with our overall recycling rates at the highest level since records began, we must intensify our work to reduce emissions and waste if we are to meet Scotland’s ambitious recycling and climate change targets.

“Our Circular Economy Bill, alongside our Circular Economy and Waste Route Map, will help us reduce waste and cut climate emissions by making recycling services better and more consistent across Scotland.”

Zero Waste Scotland’s Recycling Improvement Fund Manager David Gunn added: “We’re pleased to see these changes being made by Dumfries and Galloway Council. By making it easier for residents to recycle more, the area will help cut its carbon footprint and stop valuable materials from going to waste.

“This is vital if we’re to ease pressure on the planet now, and for future generations by becoming a more sustainable society fit for the future.”

ENDS