Household Recycling Code of Practice: Consultation document

8. Accessibility

The expected standards regarding accessibility are designed to accommodate the existing equalities requirements on local authorities and support discretionary accessibility considerations that local authorities already make. Inclusion in the Code helps to ensure that the policy objective to provide households with access to collections as universally as is practical is maintained.

This is generally reflective of feedback during the co-design process that the Code should expect there to be equal access to recycling services to all households in Scotland. However, it also acknowledges that the Code cannot be comprehensive or anticipate all circumstances and individual needs.

Public engagement showed a strong desire for accessible services, with participants citing a range of barriers including personal circumstances and property type. Residents living in flats highlighted insufficient recycling capacity, poorly designed communal bins, limited storage space and the greater convenience of residual waste disposal which can discourage recycling. Participants also raised concerns about the physical accessibility of services, particularly for older people, disabled residents and those with mobility needs, citing issues such as heavy containers, difficulty moving bins, inaccessible bin store layouts and restrictive (communal) bin openings.

Local authorities have statutory responsibilities for accessibility and in general exceed these. This section of the Code is intended to underline the importance of these factors to ensure services reflect the needs of different property types and household circumstances.