Lochaber residents are being urged to check their postboxes next week as The Highland Council enters the final phase of its region-wide improvements to waste and recycling services.
From September 2025, the new service will bring changes to collection days, the introduction of new non-recyclable waste bins, and updated recycling arrangements designed to make the system more efficient and sustainable.
Councillor Graham MacKenzie, Chair of the Communities and Place Committee, said he was pleased to see Lochaber joining the programme.
“As part of our ongoing strategy to improve the efficiency of waste and recycling collection vehicles, the majority of households in Lochaber will see a change to their bin day and this will be detailed in the letters,” he said.
Some Highland Council Business Waste customers will also see their collection day change.
Around 4,700 households in Fort William, Caol, Corpach and Banavie will receive new 140-litre grey non-recyclable waste bins and food waste caddies, while the remaining households will receive 180-litre grey bins.
Non-recyclable waste collections will remain fortnightly.
Letters will set out three key points: residents’ new bin day from 1 September, details of any extra collections during the transition period, and the delivery schedule for new bins and caddies.
The changes also include a shift to a twin-stream recycling system.
Green (or grey) bins will be for mixed plastic containers, metals, and food and drink cartons, while blue bins will be for paper, card, and cardboard only.
Both recycling bins will be collected every four weeks.
To help with the transition, the Council’s Waste Aware Team will be out in the community from next week, providing advice and answering questions at the Fort William Service Point, leisure centres, libraries, and local shops.
They will also be at the Lochaber Agricultural Show on Saturday 23 August and alongside collection vehicles from 1 September.
A detailed booklet will be delivered with each new bin explaining the changes and providing a new collection calendar.
The improvements are backed by £7.1 million from the Scottish Government’s Recycling Improvement Fund, which is also funding the expansion of food waste collections to 30,000 more households, infrastructure upgrades at Portree and Caithness Waste Transfer Stations, and a new Waste Transfer Station in Fort William.
Councillor MacKenzie acknowledged the changes may take some getting used to.
“We understand that this may be a lot of change and residents are urged to look out for their letters and to take a note of the important instructions and dates,” he said.
More information, including the bin delivery programme, is available on the Council’s website at www.highland.gov.uk/binchanges
