Businesses are offered an ACE recycling service

Thursday 16th August 2007

A NEW recycling service for small businesses is being launched in Clackmannanshire by Alloa Community Enterprises.

ACE will officially start collecting paper, cardboard, cans and bottles from small businesses next month. While domestic recycling has taken off in Clackmannanshire-taking the county to the top of the recycling league for local authorities in Scotland-business recycling has been put on a back-burner.

Just over two years ago, ACE withdrew a free recyclable waste service for business in the county, saying that it was no longer financially viable without introducing a charge. Waste previously collected by ACE has since ended up in landfill.

However, thanks to Scottish Executive funding, ACE is now able to relaunch the business recycling service, this time with a small charge. Malcolm McArdle, tole the Advertiser, 'Previously we didn't have enough staff or vehicles and decided to focus on making sure the kerbside collections were a priority. Now they are running properly we have started to look at businesses again.

'We have had a lot of supprt from the Increase Fund, which is an Executive funded project. 'They have been helping us develop the idea with marketing support, and we have employed three new staff and invested in two new vehicles and are looking to get another two in the future.'

Mr McArdle also said that small business in the area has been supportive of plans for the new service, which will be cost effective and more efficient than it was in the past. He is also confident that the small business service will ensure that Clackmannanshire continues to build on its recycling success. 'ACE has been providing recycling services to the Clackmannanshire community for over 23 years,' said Mr McArdle.

'The kerbside scheme has proven that we can operate in the mainstream business market and we are sure businesses will find our new Small Business Waste Recycling service very efficient and cost effective.' Keith Brown MSP was one of the first to benefit from ACE's new service and he also feels business recycling is vitally important in continuing the county's success. He said, 'I am delighted to be one of ACE's first customers for their new project aimed at helping small businesses recycle their waste.

'There is much being done to raise awareness about domestic recycling so sometimes commercial recycling is forgotten about. Every opportunity to encourage businesses to look after and improve the environment should be grasped.'

ACE, business, recycling, glass, cardboard, paper

news story originally posted by Nicola Findlay,Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser