By 2005, Argyll & Bute should compost and recycle 27 per cent of its rubbish, rising to 50 per cent by 2010. Those are the ambitious targets for all the rubbish produced in Argyll & Bute as laid out in the Argyll & Bute Draft Area Waste Plan, launched today. This will meet the targets for composting and recycling proposed in new legislation and represents a dramatic change in the way that rubbish is treated in Argyll & Bute.

The Argyll & Bute Draft Area Waste Plan is the result of 18 months of work shared between the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Argyll & Bute Council, private waste management companies, the local enterprise network and the voluntary sector. Developed to implement the National Waste Strategy Scotland at a local level, it sets out the vision for rubbish in the area for the next 20 years, as well as a series of actions to 2006.

Alan Farquhar, SEPA Waste Strategy Co-ordinator for Argyll & Bute, said: “This is a public consultation document and we want and need local people to respond. We will be holding a series of public meetings throughout Argyll & Bute over the next few months and these will all be advertised in the local press. The responses from the last public consultations, held earlier this year, provided us with valuable information which helped us to determine the draft area waste plan.

“At those earlier meetings, composting and recycling were definitely the favoured options and that is now reflected in the draft plan. People also wanted to see more waste minimisation so that we have even less waste to deal with in the future. This should be our ultimate aim - everyone reducing the amount of waste which they individually produce.”

Robin Banks, Argyll & Bute Councillor and spokesperson for development and environment issues, said: "Argyll & Bute Council strongly supports a move to long term sustainable waste management, building on the recently signed Public Private Partnership.

“We are now seeking to extend the ability of the Council to apply upgraded collection and recycling services to all of Argyll & Bute. We recognise the Area Waste Strategy process as one of the main tools to allow us to do that."

Copies of the draft Argyll & Bute Plan can be downloaded from the SEPA website; www.sepa.org.uk or from Alan Farquhar on 0141 945 6350.

ENDS

Notes To Editors

• Alan Farquhar, SEPA Area Waste Strategy Co-ordinator, and Moir Nelson, Chairman of the Argyll & Bute Waste Strategy Area Group, are available for interview. Please contact Louise Fyfe, SEPA Regional Public Relations Officer, on 0131 273 7274 or the out of hours public relations pager on 07644 071918.
  

• SEPA has a duty under the Environment Act 1995 to produce a national waste strategy for Scotland that will be developed through the implementation of 11 Area Waste Plans for the whole of Scotland. These aim to show how waste will be dealt with for the next 20 years and will ensure that Scotland meets the requirements of a variety of EU directives. The plans aim to reduce the volume and hazard of waste, increase recycling and re-use, and reduce the dependence on landfill. This should reduce environmental impacts whilst creating new jobs, better use of resources and a cleaner local environment.
  

• In Scotland we are heavily reliant on the landfilling (tipping into holes) of waste. Household recycling levels were 5 per cent in 2000, putting us at the bottom of the European league of recycling.
  
  
• The Argyll & Bute Waste Strategy Area Group is a partnership between SEPA, Shanks Waste Services, Barr Environmental, West of Scotland Water Authority, Scottish Enterprise Dunbartonshire, the Group for Recycling in Argyll & Bute and community recycling groups (including Greenlight Environmental, Campbeltown Waste Watchers, Bute Waste Watchers, Mull and Iona Waste Watchers and the Recycling Jura and Islay Group).
  

• Public consultation meetings will be held on the following dates:
  
  

• Monday 22 October 7.00 - 9.00pm Helensburgh - Victoria Halls
  
• Tuesday 23 October 7.00 - 9.00pm Rothesay - Pavillion
  
• Tuesday 30 October 7.00 - 9.00pm Dunoon - Queens Hall
  
• Wednesday 31 October 7.00 - 9.00pm Lochgilphead - Community Centre
  
• Thursday 1 November 7.00 - 9.00pm Campbeltown - Victoria Hall
  
• Tuesday 6 November 7.00 - 9.00pm Islay - Bowmore Hall
  
• Wednesday 7 November 7.00 - 9.00pm Oban - Ceilidh Bar, Royal Hotel
  
• Monday 12 November 7.00 - 9.00pm Mull - Craignure Hall