A new recycling waste weighing programme will be launched next month in North Lanarkshire, Scotland.

It is believed to be the first time in Scotland that a local authority uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.

Funded by the Scottish circular economy agency Zero Waste Scotland the scheme involves the use of RFID tags.

Household waste and recycling collections bins will be fitted with these tags that will capture individual bin weights.

The data collected during the scheme is forecast to inform the local authority’s policies on waste management.

It also aims to increase recycling rates – according to figures published by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, North Lanarkshire residents recycled just around 40% of their household waste in 2019.

North Lanarkshire Council is committed to raising that figure to 70% by 2025.

Iain Gulland, Chief Executive Officer of Zero Waste Scotland, said: “The primary focus is to gather data to determine which campaigns and interventions work best to reduce residual waste and increase the volume and efficiency of local recycling.”