Argyll and Bute Council are encouraging people to start measuring their carbon and environmental footprints as part of National Carbon Footprint Day on October 2nd.

Carbon Footprint Day was set up by award winning environmentalist Donnachadh McCarthy urging people throughout the UK to take practical steps to reduce their footprint over the coming year.

Councillor Robert Macintyre, the Council's Environment spokesperson, said: "This is an important issue and one which I hope people in Argyll and Bute take time out to consider.

"Climate change is now truly a climate crisis. Arctic summer ice is melting over six times faster than was predicted only four years ago and, with the permafrost predicted to melt three times faster than expected barely a year ago, it is essential that we all take action urgently.

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"A large proportion of people in Argyll and Bute do regularly recycle as part of their effort to reduce their carbon footprint and they are to be congratulated on their efforts. However, there is still many who continue to dump plastic, paper, card and other recyclables in their household waste bin instead of recycling it. This adds to the huge pressure already on Scotland's landfill sites."

Argyll and Bute has 10 staffed recycling centres which have facilities for various products such as fridge freezers, TVs and fluorescent tubes. There are also kerbside recycling schemes in most areas.

The Council is on track for meeting the Scottish Government's target of 40% recycling and composting by 2010, having reached 35% in 2007/08 - an increase of 2% from the previous year. Landfill tonnages in Argyll and Bute have also been reduced from 41,467 tonnes to 40,612 in the past 12 months.

The Council has recently established a "Live Cleaner, Go Greener" scheme in the Helensburgh and Lomond Area which will help to improve recycling opportunities and enhance collection services. It has also signed up to the Carbon Trust Local Authority Carbon Management (LACM) Programme which ties in with the Council's signing of the Scottish Climate Change Declaration.

The Carbon Management programme is ongoing, but already the Council has set out an aspirational target of 20% carbon emissions reduction over five years and is currently evaluating suggestions, with the aim of short listing proposals.

(GK/JM)