Infrastructure Services

Household waste and recycling

On the Mainland and Shapinsay, waste and recycling are collected on an alternating weekly basis. One week your refuse (grey bin) is collected, and the next your recycling (green bin). Check your collection calendar for your schedule.

Reduce, reuse and recycle

Orkney Islands Council provides a range of recycling options for residents and businesses. Recycling saves the environment, saves you money, and reduces the cost to the Council; every tonne of waste sent to Shetland for incineration costs around £150, and recycling more means that money can be reinvested in local services.

Business waste and recycling

All businesses produce waste, and most business waste is classed as controlled waste. You have a legal duty to make sure your waste is stored, handled, transported and disposed of properly, without harming the environment. This is known as your duty of care.

Community cleaning initiatives

Keeping Orkney clean is something we can all play a part in. Whether you want to tidy up your local beach, organise a community clean or just pick up a piece of litter on your way home, every effort makes a difference.

Hazardous waste

Waste is hazardous when it contains substances that could harm human health or the environment. This does not always mean it is immediately dangerous, but it does need to be handled and disposed of carefully.

Burial Services

We're responsible for the overall management of council-owned burial grounds, under the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016. We provide our burials service to the public and to undertakers through our registrars, with some areas administered locally by burial clerks.

Parking

Information about car parks, parking charges, permits, disabled parking and electric vehicle charging across Orkney.

Car parks

We provide a range of car parks across Orkney, from pay and display car parks in Kirkwall and Stromness to free long stay, community and housing car parks. For current parking charges, see our council finances page.

Parking fines and permits

If you park in one of our pay and display car parks without a valid ticket, or in breach of the parking conditions, you may receive an excess charge notice.

Disabled parking and blue badges

If you hold a Blue Badge, you can park free of charge in all our pay and display car parks. We can also consider applications for an on-street disabled bay near your home if you have severe mobility problems. This page also covers how to apply for, renew or replace a Blue Badge.

Electric vehicle (EV) charging

We manage and maintain 31 public EV charging points across Mainland Orkney and the Linked Isles for use by residents and visitors. We set the tariffs and manage the energy supply. Day-to-day operations, maintenance and customer support are managed by ScottishPower through the SP Recharge network.

Roads and lighting

Information about public roads in Orkney, road maintenance, road works, and permits and applications for working on or near the road.

Public roads and maintenance

We are responsible for road maintenance throughout Orkney, including planned programmes of resurfacing and repair, and reactive work to deal with potholes, drainage issues and other faults.

Permits and applications

If you need to carry out work on or near a public road, occupy part of the road, or create a new access, you will need permission from us first. This page covers the main types of permit and consent available.

Property, land and assets

Our land, property and natural assets across Orkney - from leasing and buying council property to quarry products and seabed management.

Cursiter quarry

We supply a range of aggregate products from Cursiter Quarry, both to the public and to support council services. You'll find our current products listed below, along with our opening times. Prices are available in our price list under Related Downloads. All materials are subject to availability.

Roads and waste plans and policies

Plans and policies covering roads maintenance, road safety, verge management, flooding and other roads-related matters.

Winter service map and plan

Our Winter Service helps keep Orkney moving during periods of frost, ice and snow. Operating from 1 November to 31 March each year, our fleet of 21 gritters and 4 tow-behind units treats priority routes across the islands, with resources focused on the roads that carry the highest traffic volumes and are most critical to safe travel.

Preparing for emergencies

Severe Weather and Winter Roads

Extreme weather can happen at any time of year in Orkney. A little preparation now can make a big difference when severe weather strikes.

Flooding

No-one can stop flooding altogether, but being prepared can make a real difference. It is important to know that property owners are responsible for protecting their own property against flooding - this is not the responsibility of Orkney Islands Council. The information on this page is intended to offer basic advice only and does not constitute legal, expert or professional advice.

PREVENT - Keeping Our Communities Safe

PREVENT is part of the UK Government's counter-terrorism strategy. Its aim is to help keep people and communities safe by preventing individuals from being drawn into terrorism or violent extremism. It addresses the threat from international terrorism as well as domestic extremism, including far-right and far-left groups and those connected to Northern Irish-related terrorism.