Aberdeenshire Council is expanding opportunities for reuse at household recycling centres so that more pre-loved items can be rehomed by a local charity.
Additional reuse containers are now in place at Banchory, Laurencekirk, Macduff, Peterhead, Portlethen, and Stonehaven household recycling centres to complement the containers already in place at Ellon and Peterhead.
Pre-loved items donated through the containers are safety and function checked, then upcycled or processed by a local charity for resale. This creates more opportunities for people to access affordable, high-quality products with far less carbon impact than buying new.
The following cared-for items are now accepted for local charities via the reuse containers:
- Furniture with fire-retardant label
- Electrical items with all parts and plug
- Sports equipment
- Bric-a-brac/general household items
- Garden furniture and equipment
- Footwear
- Toys
The charities that will service and benefit from the containers are Stella’s Voice for Ellon, Macduff, Peterhead, Portlethen, and Stonehaven household recycling centres and Magpie for Banchory and Laurencekirk.
Chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee Cllr Alan Turner said: “By extending the lifecycle of these items we support a shift towards a more circular economy. Recycling is good, but it is even better to rehome our pre-loved items so that they can be reused again and again.
“Initiatives of this kind reduce the need to extract new raw materials for new products—and avoid the emissions generated from doing so—while also preventing goods from needlessly ending up in landfill or being incinerated.”
Sustainability Committee (SC) Chair Cllr Sarah Dickinson, who was nominated to be a champion for re-use at the time of the project’s feasibility study, said: “None of this would be possible without the charities. I am grateful for their help in providing more and more opportunities for reuse across Aberdeenshire.
“Choosing to reuse quality pre-loved items is an effective way to protect natural resources, reduce our carbon impact, and save money.”
Councillor Sarah Dickinson, Councillor Isobel Davidson (ISC Vice Chair), Councillor Alan Turner, and Councillor Jim Gifford (SC Vice Chair), all supporting the reuse scheme, posed with the first items to enter the first of the newly delivered containers in Stonehaven
It is estimated that the reuse containers will save around 293 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) per year. That is the equivalent of taking 156 cars off the road for a full 12 months1 or growing around 14,000 trees for a year2.
Aberdeenshire Council welcomed £37,095 in funding for the new containers through the Scottish Government’s Recycling Improvement Fund Small Grant Scheme, administered by Zero Waste Scotland.
David Gunn, Recycling Improvement Fund Manager at Zero Waste Scotland, said: “It’s fantastic to see improved reuse infrastructure now in place in Aberdeenshire. Opting for second-hand, and donating goods once they’re no longer needed, is a great way for residents and visitors to protect the environment and support local good causes at the same time.
“A total of 40 projects across Scotland have now benefitted from Recycling Improvement Fund grants, helping hundreds of thousands of people to live more sustainably and create Scotland’s circular economy. We are proud to work with Aberdeenshire Council to successfully embed reuse at its recycling centres, benefitting both people and planet.”
Scotland’s ambitious climate change legislation sets a target date for net zero emissions of all greenhouse gases by 2045.
Aberdeenshire Council was the first local authority in Scotland to develop and approve a carbon budget, aligning itself with the Scottish Government’s ambitious targets.
The council supported this effort through the creation of a carbon toolkit that analyses the potential costs and savings to be made through its various carbon reduction projects, ensuring that emissions are reduced in the most cost-effective manner.
For more information about Aberdeenshire Council’s Household Recycling Centres opening times to access the reuse containers, please visit aberdeenshire.gov.uk/RecyclingCentres
Pictured from left to right are Cllr Sarah Dickinson, Cllr Isobel Davidson (ISC Vice Chair), Cllr Alan Turner, and Cllr Jim Gifford (SC Vice Chair), all supporting the reuse scheme, posed with the first items to enter the first of the newly delivered containers in Stonehaven.