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From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

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6 November 08
Climate Challenge Fund For Communities - Up To �1million
Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing us today. There are many things we can do as individuals to reduce our impact on climate change but if we act together as communities we can do even more. The Climate Challenge Fund is here to help communities make a real difference by significantly reducing carbon emissions. There is no set grant and no minimum level of award but a �1,000,000 maximum has been set. The Fund offers grants to community organisations to help with planning, learning, communications and most importantly local action to reduce carbon emissions. Projects can involve a range of actions, from helping people to use less energy at home, to encouraging more walking and cycling and eating more locally produced food.

Who can apply?

Applications can be made by:
� Local voluntary, not-for-profit and charitable organisations
� Schools
� Community groups working in partnership with Universities and Colleges
� Community groups working in partnership with national voluntary, not for profit and charitable organisations
� Community groups working in partnership with Local Authorities
� Community groups working in partnership with Housing Associations
� Community groups working in partnership with Community Planning Partnerships

To qualify for funding communities will need to demonstrate that their projects will:
� Make a significant carbon emissions reduction and bring wider environmental, social and economic benefits
� Be community based and have the community at the centre of decision making
� Seek to improve quality of life now and for future generations.

Funding is already supporting projects which could be reproduced by other communities. For example, in Dumfries, school students are
being encouraged to use bikes for local travel. Elsewhere, community energy efficiency schemes are helping to combat fuel poverty.

How can I find out more?
For more information on how to apply please contact the fund administrator:
Email:[email protected]
Telephone: 01786 471333
An expression of interest form and more guidance on applications are available at www.infoscotland.com/climatechallengefund

10 July 08
Plastic Recycling � Council has it bottled!
In April 2008 The Highland Council�s TEC Services Committee gave the go ahead to introduce facilities for plastic bottle recycling at a number of Recycling Centres throughout Highland. Now plastic bottles marked with either a 1 or a 2 in a small triangle can be recycled at the Centres in Wick, Thurso, Tain, Alness, Dingwall, Inverness, Nairn , Aviemore  and Fort William.  Type 1 bottles (PET) are mainly used for fizzy drinks and type 2 (HDPE) are used as milk cartons or for detergents. The Council urges everyone to try and make sure only bottles marked 1 and 2 are deposited in the banks as other plastics will contaminate the load, this may lead to a need to dispose of the materials rather than recycling them. (Tip From Bill Fernie - Remember to remove bottle tops before you go to the recycling centre as these are not wanted due to the fact they are made of a different type of plastic that cannot be mixed in the recycling - Bill recently took a couple of hundred plastic bottles to the centre for the first time and had to stand and take of all the tops)

2 June 08
Community Woodlands Photography Competition
Community Woodlands Association is sponsoring a Community Woodlands Photography Competition. Individual Prizes - First, second and third prizes will be awarded in each of three age groups. First prize winners in each category will have their images reproduced as one of a set of four postcards to be distributed nationwide. The judges for the age group categories will include Matthew Dalziel of the artistic partnership Dalziel + Scullion www.dalzielandscullion.com  A fourth, individual prize will be selected from all the other entries by CWA Directors. The winner in this category will also have their image reproduced as a postcard to make up the set of four. Community Woodland Prize - There is also a prize for one lucky Community Woodland member group. The prize will be a fantastic one day photography workshop with a professional photographer, for up to 10 participants. The photographer will be selected by CWA and we will also be able to offer support to arrange the event and take bookings if you would like help. All you have to do is provide the woodland venue. The winning community woodland will be chosen via a prize draw. All entries, submitted by the 1st September 2008 deadline, will go into a 'hat' and the workshop prize will be awarded to the first member woodland out the 'hat'.  Full details and entry forms at www.communitywoods.org

15 May 08
Caithness Recycling Service Expands
People in Caithness are benefiting from further expansion of The Highland Council's kerbside recycling collection service for paper, cans and garden waste.
Mr William Nicolson from Battery Road in Castletown is one of 500 households benefiting from the roll out of the scheme, bringing the total number of households in Caithness to 8,000 and around 70,000 in total throughout Highland. Chairman of TEC Services, Councillor John Laing said: "It's great to see further expansion of the kerbside recycling scheme throughout Caithness. People want to recycle, and they are supportive of the opportunities to do so." The introduction of the Kerbsider is one element of The Highland Council's strategy to fulfil the targets of the Highland Area Waste Plan.

17 April 08
Caithness Countryside Volunteers Plant New Hedging At Guidebest
The Caithness Countryside Volunteers enjoyed a morning planting a holly, blackthorn and hawthorn hedge on some croft land last weekend, taking a short break to help feed the pet lambs. These species of tree were chosen to provide a biodiversity rich habitat as well as to withstand the Caithness weather. The hedge should also provide shelter for lambs in years to come.  Refreshments and some trees were funded by Community Service Volunteer Action Earth Awards. The event was organised by the Highland Council's Rangers in the Planning and Development Service as part of the Caithness Countryside Volunteers calendar.

7 April 08
Get A Free Energy Advice Visit - You Could Win a Colour TV
Caithness Energy Advice has a 15� LCD television up for grabs in their summer raffle. If you are interested in having a home visit to get free energy advice on your home energy bills/systems you will automatically be entered into the raffle*.
CEA�s aim is to help people keep warm and pay less for their energy. To accomplish this, the team assesses the current level of energy efficiency in homes in the Caithness area, raises awareness of choices available to take charge of household energy bills, and partners with existing organisations for a coordinated, long range approach to reducing fuel poverty. The Energy Advice team can guide householders to energy savings by identifying issues such as poor insulation, problem door/ window seals, electrical equipment left on standby and incorrect use of heating systems.  This is a community project based in Ormlie and available across Caithness giving FREE unbiased advice on how to reduce your energy bills.  Competition runs up until 29th August 2008 but why wait - GIVE THEM A CALL SOON.

25 February 08
Highland Council in line for top recycling award
The Highland Council is in the frame to be crowned Scotland's top local authority for community recycling, at a major awards ceremony to be held next month.

Highland Council has made it through to the final stages of the competition and will now compete against both Falkirk and Moray Council for a chance to scoop the Local Authority Partnership Award, at this year's Community Recycling Network for Scotland (CRNS) 2008 Awards.

The Awards ceremony, which takes place at Perth Concert Hall on March 11th, will recognise the most successful and innovative community recycling projects which have taken place over the last 12 months in Scotland.

Highland Council has been shortlisted in recognition of its support for nine community recycling enterprises across the Highlands and Islands region, including projects based in Acharacle, Fort William, Uig, Bettyhill, Thurso, Golspie, Evanton, Alness and Inverness.

Through the allocation of Waste Diversion agreements, the Council works with organisations to reduce the amount of waste diverted to landfills and ensure as much waste as possible is reused and recycled.

Through this partnership, the Council will divert 4,000 tonnes of municipal waste from landfill disposal for 2007-2008, which accounts for 8% of the area's recycling activities.

Councillor John Laing, Chairman of The Highland Council's TEC Services Committee and spokesperson for Waste Management said: "We are delighted to be shortlisted for the CRNS Awards as it is another way in which we can help to raise awareness about the importance of recycling and the need for community involvement.

"The community sector in Highland provides a wide variety of services, including collection of furniture and other household items for reuse from our recycling centres, community composting, wood reuse & recycling and kerbside recycling.

"The groups have benefited from over �600k of funding from the Strategic Waste Fund and a further �200k from the council's landfill diversion budget in 2007/08. This amount of funding will be available to the groups for the forthcoming financial year."

The council joins 10 other leading organisations and initiatives selected to compete in one of three award categories, namely CRNS Member of the Year, Innovation Award, and the Local Authority Partnership Award.

This year's accolades have been the most hotly contested in the CRNS' awards history, as a total of 42 high quality nominations were received from existing community recycling projects across the whole of Scotland.

CRNS Network Director, Iain Gulland, said: "The finalists for this year's CRNS More Than Recycling Awards 08 really illustrate the diversity of the Scottish community recycling sector, as well as bearing testament to the real social, economical and environmental benefits which can be reaped by Scottish communities.

"As a growing trend in Scotland, community recycling is a sector which now has an annual turnover in excess of �26 million and employs over 1,100 people nationally, as well as offering another 950 training places and providing 3,200 volunteer opportunities.

"We hope our More Than Recycling 08 Conference will illustrate exactly how much potential community recycling has to help communities on a practical level as well as protecting the environment in general, and that this encourages more projects to emerge and more local authority support."

The CRNS Award-winners will be announced at the More Than Recycling Conference, which will be held on the 11th March at Perth Concert Hall.

Poised to be the biggest ever gathering of people committed to realising the potential of the community recycling sector in Scotland, 'More Than Recycling 08' boast a strong line-up of speakers from a variety of backgrounds within the industry.

To book a place at 'More Than Recycling 08' visit www.crns.org.uk/index/mtr08  or call 01786 469002

26 November 07
Switching on to energy saving�for FREE

As the days are getting darker and we are using more energy to keep our homes light, why not take advantage of this free energy saving light bulb offer to help keep energy costs down. The North Highland branch of the Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company (HICEC) is running a project to distribute energy saving light bulbs across the North Highlands. HICEC in association with EDF energy has teamed up with Highland Community Care Forum (HCCF), East Sutherland Voluntary Advice Service (ESVAS), Caithness Voluntary Groups (CVG) and Family First to distribute the free energy saving light bulbs to community members across Sutherland, Caithness and Rosshire.

To qualify for the free bulbs community members must receive one of the following benefits: Council tax benefit; housing benefit; income support; income-based job seekers allowance; attendance allowance; disability allowance; war disablement pension; disablement pension; state pension credit; child tax credit or working tax credit.

Melanie MacRae, Assistant Development Officer for the North Highlands from HICEC is coordinating the project for the area. �It is really important to raise the awareness among our communities of the savings that can be made from using energy more efficiently. Lighting can account for up to 10 % of the average domestic electricity bill. The use of energy saving light bulbs is a very quick and simple option to reduce your energy bills and cut carbon dioxide emissions, saving the environment and your purse!. Energy efficient light bulbs use less than a quarter of the electricity of ordinary light bulbs, can last up to 15 times longer, and produce 70% less CO2 emissions than ordinary incandescent light bulbs�

For information on how to receive the bulbs contact any of the organisations below

Area Contact Organisation Tel Number
North West, Sutherland & Rosshire Christian
Goskirk
Community
Care Forum
01549
402597
East Sutherland Shirley
McHardy
Community Care Forum 01408
641444
Sutherland Lorraine Davidson
Payne
Family First 01408
633 363
Caithness Yvonne
Hendry
Caithness Voluntary
Group
01955
609960

18 November 07
Caithness Energy Advice Project - Caithness Project Wins Award
Free Winter Warmth Packs
The Caithness Energy Advice Team will be giving away Free Winter Warmth packs which contain information about how to keep warm, energy-saving tips and useful contacts. The Free Winter Warmth packs will be up for grabs during Ormlie Community Association�s latest awareness raising events, tacking fuel poverty and increasing energy efficiency for Caithness householders. The events are part of the Warm Homes Campaign Award Scheme which is one aspect of the Warm Homes Campaign, organized by National Energy Action (NEA) and Energy Action Scotland, which is taking place throughout the UK from the end of November. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the financial help available to people who cannot afford to heat their homes to try and reduce cold-related illnesses and excess winter deaths and is organised in association with eaga.
Drop-in events for householders:
Tuesday 27 November � 9.30am to 4.30pm�Wick Family Centre Wick
Wednesday 28 November � 9.30am to 12.30pm � British Legion, Thurso

Deadly seal virus returns to Europe
Following the reports that PDV (Phocine Distemper Virus) has been reported in Denmark ,
British Divers Marine Life Rescue has started to make contingency plans should the virus reach the UK seal colonies as it has done in the past outbreaks in 1988 and 2002.

BDMLR has a �handling protocol� in place, which was drawn up during the last outbreak of PDV in 2002.

BDMLR has already made contact with a number of other organisations [4] which have previously been involved with the response and challenges required to deal with the results of the effects of the virus.

Tony Woodley, BDMLR�s national press officer, said "British Divers Marine Life Rescue was formed during the first outbreak of this virus in 1988 and in 2002 our volunteers around the UK again helped the Common seals affected. Our veterinary advisers confirm that on both these previous occasions the virus took a number of weeks to reach the UK shores from the rest of Europe."

"BDMLR has contingency plans in place and we will be briefing our network of volunteers and have already started to communicate with other organisations within the M.A.R.C. [5] to ensure we are ready for when the virus reaches the UK", continued Tony.

The virus does not affect humans but members of the public are advised to keep dogs away from seals.

20 June 07
New Funding Extends Energy Project Till 2009
The Renewable energy Project run by Ormlie Community Association has received  new funding of �89,126 that will mean they can take on extra staff and ensure the project keeps going until March 2009. Louise Smith, Ormlie Community Association�s Project Manager for Renewable Energy, said, �We are delighted to have been given this opportunity to join the ranks of excellent projects that Scottish Power�s Energy People Trust have funded as part of their commitment to end fuel poverty. Our Energy SOS Project was established last year and has grown from strength to strength thanks to the commitment of staff, volunteers, partners and funders. It is one arm of the Caithness Energy Advice Project, the other being energy efficiency and renewables research in conjunction with Pentland Housing Association.

13 March 07
Dumpers To Get On The Spot Fines

The Highland Council are to issue �50 Fixed Penalty Notices to people in the Inverness Area who break the law by illegally dumping their rubbish. This new approach has come about as a result of an update to the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and Anti Social Behaviour legislation which saw the introduction of new powers for Local Authority Officers and Police Officers alike who are now given similar powers by offering culprits the opportunity of discharging any liability for the offence by accepting a fixed penalty notice for small scale fly tipping whether domestic or commercial.

This new approach will be implemented with immediate effect and Local Authority officers will be actively investigating reports of fly tipping and where evidence is found that connects the waste to an address the offender will be visited and issued with a fixed penalty notice.

Since the 1st January 2007 in the Inverness area there have been over 200 reports of fly tipping received from members of the public which the Council's TEC Service have responded to and uplifted the waste.

Community Warden Lorna Jackson said: "This level of fly tipping is a huge cost to the council which must now be tackled by carrying out more thorough investigations. Where the dumping is of a larger scale, the offender will be reported to the Procurator Fiscal for the consideration of a prosecution, if convicted the fine can be anything up to �40,000 and carries the possibility of a six month jail sentence.

"There are of course other powers contained within the Environmental Protection Act 1990 which the Council can use to force landowners to keep land under their control litter and waste free and these will also be utilised where a solution cannot be reached by amicable agreement, these powers extend to private land and can include street litter where the presence of litter on the street or adjacent land has originated from a particular business. Another measure the council will be implementing is the issuing of fixed penalty notices to litter offenders this means that any one caught dropping litter will be issued a �50 fixed penalty notice."

Although the council find it necessary to implement these tough measures to tackle the problems associated with fly tipping and littering they would encourage communities and community groups to take a pride in the environment where they live and participate in community clean ups.

Keep Scotland Beautiful is an organisation which can provide all the information and support communities need to carry out a clean up and welcome participants to contact them especially during the month of April when events will be organised on a national basis as part of National Spring Clean. Any group that is interested in organising a Community Clean can register on the Keep Scotland Beautiful website www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org  where they will receive advice and assistance on organising a community cleaning event.

12 January 07
E-newsletter Of North Highland Forest Trust
Published on 20 December we are delighted to bring you the latest edition that anyone with an interest in trees and forests might find something useful or of interest.

11 December 06
Lucky Winners To Have Inside View Of Scotland's Wildlife
Local people have got the chance to win a special trip to one of Scotland's most scenic National Nature Reserves in a competition run by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). Guided by a wildlife expert, four lucky people will experience the sights and sounds at first hand.

The trips are on offer in a prize draw for people who complete a questionnaire on the SNH 2006 Annual Review by mid January 2007. The review sets out the work of SNH over the last year, from management of reserves to supporting Scotland's new access legislation and encouraging biodiversity by offering more than �15million in grants. The accompanying short questionnaire enables people to have their say about the review and also be entered into the draw.

There are four prizes: a special guided boat trip to Loch Maree Islands National Nature Reserve (NNR), near Kinlochewe; helping with a dawn goose count at Caerlaverock NNR in Dumfriesshire; the chance to be special guests on the Isle of May NNR in the Firth of Forth and a guided shore walk with an SNH marine biologist exploring rock pools.

Anyone interested can get the review and the accompanying questionnaire free from SNH Publications, Battleby, Redgorton, Perth, PH1 3EW. Telephone 01738 444177.

It is also available via SNH's website www.snh.org.uk  and from SNH offices. The deadline for competition entries is 15 January 2007.

11 October 06
Making Progress On War On Waste In Highland
Highland Council achieved a dramatic expansion in recycling provision through the extension of kerbside collections to 48,000 households, the opening of five new Recycling Centres at Wick, Thurso, Dingwall, Fort William and Nairn and the development of a network of 175 Recycling Points. At March 2006, Highland had achieved a recycling rate of 19.9%. 
Recycling Centres

28 September 06
Keiss Beach Tidy Up
A group of 19 volunteers took part in this years' Beachwatch at Keiss beach on Saturday 16th September 2006. The clean-up was organised by the Highland Council Planning and Developments' countryside rangers as part of the national event, the most extensive monitoring programme in Europe for coastal and marine litter. Members of the Caithness Critters, Caithness Countryside Volunteers and members of the public took part in the event to help rid the beach of unsightly and dangerous litter. The group removed marine debris and litter from 110m of rocky shore area by the Keiss beach car park. The types and quantities of litter were recorded for data collection by the Marine Conservation Society. This year at Keiss; plastic, rope, strapping and fishing net accounted for much of the debris.

31 August 06
Highland Council Launches Home Composting Scheme
This week The Highland Council launches its Home Composting scheme in Caithness and Sutherland offering residents a lifetime's supply of free compost if they buy a discounted compost bin for their garden for only �10.

This special offer is available until 30th September and as the demand is expected to be high, the Council is advising anyone interested in buying a compost bin to order theirs early. Postcards detailing how to take up the discount deal will be delivered to householders soon.

Composting is a recycling technique that uses natural processes to convert organic materials to humus through the action of microorganisms and bacteria in soil. Compost is a mixture that consists largely of decayed organic matter, such as garden and kitchen waste, and is used for fertilising and conditioning land.

Both seasoned and occasional gardeners are being encouraged to take up home composting and help to significantly reduce the amount of domestic and commercial waste that goes to landfill.

This campaign is a partnership between The Highland Council, WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) and The Scottish Waste Awareness Group.

The Council's spokesperson on Waste Management, Councillor Bill Fulton said: "Composting selected kitchen and garden waste is an effective way of reducing, reusing and recycling some of the daily waste we produce, while providing significant benefits for our gardens and the wider environment. It is easy to do and once you start you will be surprised just how much of your daily household waste can be recycled this way."

A similar offer was available last year to residents of Skye and Lochalsh and Wester Ross and areas of Sutherland. This proved to be a great success with over 2,000 compost bins being purchased. Skye and Lochalsh will be targeted again in October.

27 July 06
Trinkathon A Big Hit As Sun Shines On In Caithness
Sunday 23rd July 2006 was successful day for organisers of Annual Trinkathon,  warm weather ensured a very good turnout and �531 was raised towards future maintenance and equipment. David Hall representing the Royal Mail was on hand to present the North Bath Cup [won this year by the Trinkie team] this cup was generously donated by the Royal Mail.

30 May 06
Opening Hours At Caithness Recycling Centres And Community Skip Provision
Following a report presented to the Caithness Area TEC Services Committee yesterday (Monday 29 May) on Monday, the opening hours at the recycling centres in Wick and Thurso will be changed to reflect demand and the community skips in Halkirk, Castletown and Lybster will be removed.

16 May 06
May Newsletter for North Highland Forest Trust
Packed with information about visits, walks funding and lots more.


North Highland Forestry Trust Annual Forum
10 June

26 April 06
Community Comes Together At Newtonhill Community Woodland
An energetic bunch of volunteers headed to Newtonhill Community Woodland, Wick last Saturday to take part in a tree planting and clean up event. The day was organised though Highland Council's Planning and development Service local countryside ranger. The trees were funded through a grant scheme run by the Community Woodland Association and Trees for All Council. Refreshments for the volunteers were funded by the Community Service Volunteers Action Earth supported by Scottish Natural Heritage. Over 30 volunteers from the Friends of Newtonhill Woodland, Wick Rotary Club and Caithness Countryside Volunteers worked together on the day to plant 90 broadleaf trees including alder, white beam, birch, black thorn and bird cherry.

30 March 06
Halkirk Gets Kerbside Recycling
Following on from the success of the Kerbside recycling collections which began last April in Wick and Thurso, The Highland Council has decided to expand the service to include another 350 households in Halkirk on the garden waste collection service. Each household on the route in Halkirk has recently been supplied with an additional brown wheelie bin and a Kerbside recycling calendar giving the collection dates. The new recycling collections will start on Friday 14 April 2006 and will operate on a fortnightly basis. The normal refuse collection will be unaffected.

28 March 06
North Highland Forest Trust
NHFT publishes a newsletter packed with information and until they begin publishing on an upgraded web site at alter date we will publish it via Caithness.org  The March Newsletter is now online and is 18 pages of information on funding schemes and anything connected to forestry in Caithness and Sutherland

21 February 06
DUNNET FOREST TREE PLANTING
Almost 30 volunteers turned out to help plant trees at Dunnet forest last Saturday. The planting was organised by Highland Council's Planning and Development Service countryside rangers and Dunnet Forest community forester, Jon Hollingdale as part of the Caithness Countryside Volunteer and Caithness Critter programme of events. A mix of approximately 400 broadleaf trees were planted, staked and guarded in a recent felled area. The event was part of the Community Service Volunteers Action Earth supported by Scottish Natural Heritage. After the tree planting, all the volunteers rested at the Northern Sands Hotel where a sandwich lunch and refreshments were provided.

6 February 06
SEPA WELCOMES HOUSEHOLD WASTE CONSULTATION

The amount of household waste produced in Scotland is growing at an alarming rate and if changes aren't made it may double within 20 years.

The average Scottish consumer wastes �1597 per year on goods and services that they don't use, �438 of this is uneaten food.

In a bid to stem this disturbing growth in waste, the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have published a consultation paper detailing actions which could be taken by everyone.

Questions are being asked of designers, retailers, consumers and local authorities and include;

� What more can be done to promote ecodesign in Scotland, and what can be done to lengthen the lifespan of products?

� What further action could be taken to minimise packaging waste and would deposit-refund schemes be the answer?

� What information on products should be used to help people choose low waste alternatives?

� Should we look further at charging households for the amount of waste they produce?

� What could be done to reduce the amount of junk mail we all receive, and the numbers of plastic bags that we consume?

Make sure your opinions are heard.  Go To the Consultation on the Scottish Executive web site

� Scotland's National Waste Strategy set an aim of 0% growth in municipal waste arising by the year 2010.
� Recycling rates have been improving (most recent results for the quarter July - September 2005) show recycling standing at 25.1%,

� However, municipal waste continues to increase - by around 2% a year.

The reasons for this growth are complex:
� we have more money than ever before
� goods, especially food, clothes and electronic items, are cheaper than ever before.
� more single person households, each requiring their own set of household goods;
� people want more convenience, buying highly packaged ready meals and a vast array of disposable items; and
� changing attitudes - there is no longer an attitude of 'make do and mend'.

13 January 06
GRANTS FOR PLANTING TREES

The Tree Council, a national charity that promotes the planting and conservation of trees in town and countryside has two grant schemes available for 2006. These are the Trees for Schools Fund and the Communities Tree Fund. Under these funds grants of up to �700 are available both to schools and community groups proposing to undertake well-planned tree planting projects starting in 2006 during National Tree Week, 22nd November to 3rd December. The closing date for both funding streams is the 31st May 2006.
http://www.treecouncil.org.uk/tc/grants%20link.htm

10 January 06
HIGHLAND COUNCIL ON COURSE TO HIT RECYCLING TARGET
Thanks to the tremendous efforts of everyone living in the region The Highland Council is on course to reach its recycling target of 17.6% by April 2006.

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If you want to get out in the Caithness countryside check out Walking Groups