Workers at a multi-million-pound Aberdeen recycling depot have urged residents not to dump dog poo bags in their recycling.
Staff at the materials recycling facility in Altens have issued an appeal because they are dealing with a lot of dog waste.
They have asked people to put the canine excrement in designated bins instead.
Workers at the plant have turned to social media to highlight the issue at the £27 million depot which opened two years ago.
The post said: “The staff at the materials recovery and recycling facility (MRF) are handling a lot of dog poo bags in the mixed recycling stream.
“Dog poo waste is not recyclable. Please put your dog waste into designated dog poo or general waste bins.”
Reacting to the online post, resident Philip Wilson said it is the responsibility of dog owners to make sure their pet’s excrement is dealt with properly. He said: “Why would people want to carry dog waste home when the council provide bins for litter and dog waste? It’s not rocket science.”
Katie Murray from the Keep Scotland Beautiful group backed the calls to keep it out of the city recycling system.
She said: “Our latest evidence showed there had at last been a small improvement in levels of dog fouling so it is encouraging to see more people cleaning up after their dogs.
“However, this appeal from Altens makes it clear that more needs to be done to get the message through that any general waste bin is the right place to dispose of poo bags – not the recycling centre.”
Keep up to date with the latest news with The Evening Express newsletter
A local authority spokesman said city residents have embraced recycling but urged people not to leave dog waste in their recycling collection bins.
He said: “The people of Aberdeen have really responded well to our recycling project but just bear in mind dog waste isn’t recycling.”
The materials recycling depot at Tullos is run by Suez UK on behalf of Aberdeen City Council.
It was opened by council co-leader Jenny Laing and Suez chief executive David Palmer-Jones in October 2017.
The Altens East plant can process up to 20 tonnes an hour of mixed recycling, including glass, cardboard, plastics and metals.
It forms part of the local authority’s efforts at increasing recycling rates and reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill.
Councillor Laing said: “We have invested massively in the future of Aberdeen in terms of reducing our environmental impact and landfill taxes while also creating new jobs.
“We have demonstrated our commitment to meeting our environmental targets.”
Help support quality local journalism … become a digital subscriber to the Evening Express
For as little as £5.99 a month you can access all of our content, including Premium articles.
Subscribe