Services
Recycling - general information
Recycling: To increase the amount of material recycled by West Lothian Council, a recycling trial was introduced in 2001 in selected areas. As the trial was successful, the scheme was rolled-out in West Lothian in order to achieve the recycling targets set by the Scottish Executive.
The bins are emptied on a four-weekly cycle with the grey bin and blue bin being lifted once a fortnight and brown every four weeks.
Recycling Bin options:
In addition to the service standards for waste collection, the following apply for kerbside recycling:
- We will continue to offer, free of charge at your request, any number or combination of blue bins in the following sizes: 140 litre, 240 litre (standard size bin), 360 litre
- We will offer, free of charge at your request, any number of brown bins, which are only available in the standard 240ltr size.
- Any additional bins requested shall be provided within 10 working days.
Required standards for recycling:
We will provide householders with a calendar stating the schedule for collection.
These can be placed within the blue bin:
- Cans - Aluminium and steel food and drinks cans, which we require to be rinsed out before being placed within bin
- Cardboard based food and drinks cartons, fresh soup cartons, juice and smoothie cartons - please remove lids and rinse.
- Paper- Newspapers, magazines, brochures, catalogues, junk mail , telephone directories including Yellow Pages
- Lightweight card- card food packaging, cereal boxes, kitchen and toilet roll tubes, washing powder boxes.
- Plastic bottles- We only accept bottles made from PET/PETE or HDPE, which we require to be rinsed out before being placed within bin.
- We will not accept plastic bags within the blue bin.
You should not put the following items in your blue bin:
Food packaging excluding cardboard packing, glass bottles, older Yellow Pages, envelopes, carbon paper, disposable nappies. IF IN DOUBT PLEASE PUT IT IN YOUR GREY BIN.
These can be placed within the brown bin:
- Flowers and plants
- Garden weeds
- Grass cuttings
- Hedge clippings
- Leaves and bark
- Small branches and twigs
If your bin contains materials other than those listed, we will advise you by placing a sticker on the bin. This bin shall not be uplifted along with the other recycling bins as it will contaminate the whole load. Contamination must be removed and placed in the grey bin.
We will arrange to uplift the bin within 5 working days, once we have been notified that contamination has been removed.
Households that continue to contaminate will be visited by the Councils Waste Management Officers who will offer advice on recycling.
If you have opted out of the recycling scheme and your bin is only emptied once a fortnight, it is not possible for you to have a larger bin as these are only for people that are part of the recycling scheme.
The garden waste will be turned into compost for use in landscaping work and the paper will be converted into new paper products.
Recycling Helpline Tel: 01506 775000
Also, you can get more details on how you can help recycle more from:
Waste Aware Scotland
Wallace House
17-21 Maxwell Place
Stirling
FK8 1JU
Tel: 01786 468248
info@wasteawarescotland.org.uk
Waste Aware Armadale
Waste Aware Armadale - News Release
Waste Aware Armadale - Final Report February 2008
Waste Aware Armadale - Project Evaluation January 2008
updated 07/09/11
