Midlothian Council stops providing caddy liners

The decision was taken at a meeting of the full council today (Tuesday) and will take immediate effect.

Stopping the physical provision of free caddy liners will save the council approximately £16,000 per year. There will also be additional savings to the council in reduced administration, storage and delivery costs.

When kerbside collections of food waste were introduced, the council committed to the Scottish Government to providing householders with replacement liners for a period of three years. That period has now ended and additional caddy liners are no longer required to be funded by the council.

Continuing cuts in Scottish Government funding, at a time of increased demand for vital services, means the council has had to look very carefully at its spending priorities. Difficult choices, about where to spend money and where to save it, have had to be made.

Councillor John Hackett, the cabinet member for commercial operations, said: “Our food waste recycling service has had a great uptake since it began a few years ago - almost 7,000 tonnes of food waste has been collected and turned into electricity locally at Millerhill. The commitment of residents to recycling their food waste has saved around £350,000 in disposal costs to date.

“While caddy liners will no longer be provided, we are encouraging residents to keep up their food waste recycling habits. Alternative liners are widely available from a range of shops, but you don’t have to buy special liners for your food waste and they don’t need to be biodegradable. You can use bin liners, a bread bag, wrap the waste in paper, or use any other plastic bag. Any bag will do.”