Tag: waste

Committee seeks views on how Scotland  should best achieve a circular economy

Cutting waste, increasing recycling and protecting the natural environment. These are some of the suggested benefits of a circular economy, but will a new Bill help make these changes happen? 

The Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill will introduce measures the Scottish Government believes will help Scotland to move towards a circular economy. The Scottish Parliament’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee wants to know if these proposals will work in practice and whether they are sufficient to achieve that goal. 

According to the Scottish Government, a circular economy would not only cut waste and reduce carbon emissions, but it would increase Scotland’s self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on international supply chains. 

As well as creating a circular economy strategy, the Bill also contains powers to set additional charges for single use items as well as placing new duties on households and local authorities in terms of disposal of household waste and recycling.  

Now the Committee want to hear from people across Scotland about their views of the Bill and whether it really will make a difference in reducing waste in Scotland. 

Committee Convener Edward Mountain MSP said: “The Bill before us has ambitions for creating a circular economy which will protect Scotland’s natural environment and help tackle the climate emergency. 

“But this Bill is wide ranging and will affect individuals, businesses and communities, so it is important to hear these voices to make sure the measures which are proposed work in practice. 

“Covering areas such as household waste, littering and recycling this will affect many aspects of day-to-day life. So, it is vital that as many people as possible get involved in the discussion to help strengthen our scrutiny of the detail in the Bill.”

To provide a detailed response to the Bill – Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill – Scottish Parliament – Citizen Space

To make brief and general comments – https://engage.parliament.scot/group/29745

The Committee’s call for views will be open until Sunday 20 August 2023.

Scotland recycling less waste and sending more to incineration, latest SEPA stats reveal

New statistics reveal that Scotland recycled less and sent more waste to incineration in 2021 than 2018. SEPA did not publish complete datasets for 2019 or 2020 because of the cyber-attack on the organisation.

The total amount of waste fell, probably in response to the fall in economic activity during the pandemic.

Waste statistics published today (28 March) by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) show that in 2021:

+ The total amount of waste generated in Scotland was 9.6 million tonnes;

+ 56% of this waste was recycled, a fall from 2018 when 60% of waste recycled;

+ This reduction means almost 1.5 million tonnes less of Scottish waste was recycled;

+ Incineration rose 14.6% compared to 2019 and the amount of waste burned tripled over 10 years

+ The amount of waste sent to landfill also increased by 0.4% from 2019.

Kim Pratt, circular economy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland said: “This is the first time in three years that we have seen a snapshot of Scotland’s waste trends and the picture is extremely concerning.

“A fall in economic activity in the pandemic may have led to a short term drop in the amount of waste Scotland produces but this is likely to rise again once activity resumes.

“Despite the pandemic reducing overall waste levels, the amount of waste burned continues to rise and has tripled in just ten years. The moratorium on new incineration was a vital first step to reverse this trend but these statistics show it is not enough and must now be backed up with a ban on burning plastics and a phase out plan for existing incinerators. However, rather than closing incinerators, projects which already had planning permission are allowed to start operating and are receiving funding. This needs to stop now.

“Scotland must transform the way it uses materials and waste less to reduce our impact on the planet. It’s vital more is done to prevent valuable reusable or recyclable materials burning in incinerators or ending up in landfill. Ensuring waste is not created in the first place is the best way to reduce its environmental impacts, and if waste is created, we must recycle as much of it as possible.”

The Scottish Government published the second and final part of its independent review on incineration in February 2023. The review recommended that the Scottish Government should introduce a ban on burning plastics by 2030. The Scottish Government has not yet responded to these recommendations.

The NESS incinerator in Aberdeen was given Scottish Government funding in November 2022, six months after the first independent review on incineration was published. Despite construction problems and local communities voicing concern, the NESS incinerator begun burning waste in 2023.

Earlier this month it was revealed that, rather than treating the toxic bottom ash produced by the incinerator locally as planned, the operators are sending it over 100 miles to Fife.

Reducing emissions from waste

Keeping plastic out of incinerators will help meet climate targets

Stopping plastics from being incinerated is one of the key recommendations of an independent review of decarbonising the treatment of residual waste.

The report follows last year’s independent review of the role of incineration in Scotland, which recommended placing a cap on future capacity and led to Ministers putting restrictions on the development of further incinerators.

Report author Dr Colin Church has made several new recommendations to reduce the carbon impact of residual (or ‘black bag’) waste treatment infrastructure, including stopping plastic from being incinerated in Scotland.

In addition, he has recommended:

  • taking forward policies to reduce plastic production and use
  • promoting source segregation of all plastics, and implementing advanced sorting to remove plastics from black bag waste
  • using the heat from incinerators where possible, for example for homes and businesses

Dr Colin Church said: “Incineration remains a more climate-friendly method of managing residual waste than traditional landfill, and more practical than any other currently available approach.

However, without further action, this advantage will erode over a relatively short time. That is why my second report sets out a series of recommendations to improve the carbon impact of residual waste treatment, of which the most urgent and potentially most impactful is the cessation this decade of the incineration of plastic.”

Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater said: “I would like to thank Dr Church for this report, which will make an important contribution to ensuring that the management of residual waste in Scotland aligns with our greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

“Of course, the best way to reduce harmful emissions from our waste is to prevent it from occurring in the first place. That is why we have already banned many of the most problematic single-use plastic products and will soon be presenting a draft Circular Economy Bill to parliament. This will establish the legislative framework to support Scotland’s transition to a zero waste and circular economy.”

Environmental campaigners have welcomed the recommendation that incineration of plastics must end by 2030 in Scotland. The call came as part of an independent review commissioned by the Scottish Government into reducing the climate impact of the country’s incineration problem.

The review makes several recommendations including:

  • the burning of plastic should end by 2030
  • operators should try to include to deploy combined heat and power with incinerators
  • incinerators with potential for carbon capture should be prioritised and the Government should offer more support for carbon capture technology.     

No Scottish incinerators have functioning combined heat and power plants yet despite this being a requirement within 7 years of being granted a permit by SEPA. The end of plastic burning will significantly reduce the carbon produced from incinerators, thereby reducing the need for expensive and risky carbon capture. Campaigners say that other carbon-based waste, such as food, paper and wood waste, should be recycled.

Campaigners previously welcomed the move by the Scottish Government to implement a moratorium on planning permission for new incinerators, following the first report from Dr Colin Church, but say a clear exit strategy from incineration is still needed.

Friends of the Earth Scotland’s Circular Economy Campaigner Kim Pratt said: “Plastics are fossil fuels, so burning them cannot be part of a zero carbon future. That’s why the key recommendation of this review, to ban the burning of plastic by 2030, must be supported and immediately acted on by the Scottish Government.

“Instead of setting out a clear phase out plan, the review suggests incinerators can be made more sustainable by increasing the amount of heat they provide. We know that generating heat from incinerators emits even more climate changing emissions than gas boilers so following this path will ultimately compromise Scotland’s chance of creating a zero carbon, circular economy.

“Once fossil-based plastics are banned from incinerators, their emissions will plummet. Deploying risky and expensive techno-fixes like carbon capture when there are almost no emissions to capture is a waste of time and resources.

“As this review states, heat generation and carbon capture must not be used to justify new incinerators. But Scotland will have more incineration capacity than there is waste to burn by 2027, so Ministers must go further than the recommendations of this review and reduce capacity in line with our climate commitments.

“Incinerators are amongst the largest single sources of emissions so the Scottish Government must create a plan to phase out incineration, plant by plant, and as rapidly as possible if it hopes to meet its own climate targets.”

Dr Church’s report on Decarbonisation of Residual Waste Infrastructure in Scotland

Dr Church’s initial report, Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury, was published in May 2022

Betty the e-waste shark washed astore at Stirling shopping centre

Thistles welcomes life-sized basking shark made from second hand electrical devices

Thistles shopping centre in Stirling has unveiled a new art installation, Betty the e-waste shark, which has been making a splash with shoppers.

Betty is a life-sized basking shark made entirely from second hand electrical devices including over 200 keyboards and water cooler panels that have been saved from landfill. Shoppers brave enough to stand at Betty’s mouth will see two projector lenses and TV screens showing a powerful film highlighting the enormous scale of e-waste that is shipped across seas every year.

The work of Edinburgh artist, Jonathan Elders, Betty was created to raise awareness of Scotland’s electronic waste problem. Designed to be engaging, it is also fully inclusive and accessible to people of any height or level of mobility. 

For a limited time only before Betty continues her journey across the country, visitors are invited to interact and snap a picture with the striking sculpture located outside Muffin Break to learn about the growing problem of e-waste facing our country.

Gary Turnbull, Centre Director at Thistles, said: “We’re excited to have welcomed Betty into the centre as not only is it a fantastic sculpture, but it is also a great way to educate our shoppers on the problem of electronic waste which faces us all.

“At Thistles we have been putting a great focus on sustainability, how to cut down on all waste and the steps we can take to protect our planet. Our Wolf Pack Kids’ Club is something that we’ve been able to introduce into the centre, with the help of the Sustainable Supers, to get the next generation clued up on all things sustainable and reducing our carbon footprint.”

The instalment furthers Thistles’ focus on raising awareness about sustainability and reducing waste as its monthly Wolf Pack Kids’ Club continues. Hosted on the last Sunday of the month from February to November, each month centres around a unique theme around planet saving, kindness and sharing.

Wolf pack members will be able to see Betty the shark up close after the next, free of charge event on September 25. Children can take part in an interactive workshop to design, create and take home their very own garden windchimes as we celebrate the seasons and head into Autumn.

Thistles encourages all shoppers to catch Betty the e-waste shark while you can as she will be at the shopping centre for a limited time only.

To find out more and sign up for The Wolf Pack, please visit:

www.thistlesstirling.com/the-wolf-pack/

Strike action begins in Edinburgh

Unite members in Waste and Cleansing in Edinburgh will begin industrial action today over the ‘insulting’ pay offer for local government workers.

Last Friday, COSLA increased the offer from 2% to 3.5%. All three unions of the Scottish Joint Council -Unite, Unison and GMB – immediately rejected the offer.

The NHS have been offered—and look set to reject—5%, so once again local government is treated as the poor relation of the public sector. Local government workers in England have been offered a rise of £1,925.

Edinburgh is the first council to take action, with others following on the 24th.

Pickets and support

The strike takes place from 5am today to 5am on Tuesday 30 August with daily pickets at seven waste depots across the city.

See picket locations below:

Waste and Cleansing workers will strike from 5am on 18 August to 4:59am on 30 August in Edinburgh Council.

DAILY PICKETS at:

  • Seafield Depot on Fillyside Road from 5:30 to 8:30am and 7pm to 8pm.
  • Bankhead Depot on Bankhead Avenue from 5:30 to 8:30am
  • Cowan’s Close Depot at 7 Cowan’s Close from 5:30 to 8:30am
  • Craigmillar Depot on Old Dalkeith Road from 5:30 to 8:30am
  • Russell Road Depot at 38 Russell Road from 5:30 to 8:30am
  • Burgess Road Depot at 30 Burgess Road in South Queensferry from 5:30 to 8:30am
  • Murrayburn Depot at 33 Murrayburn Road from 6:30 to 8:30am.

You can support the strike by donating to the strike fund.

TODAY: Demo at the City Chambers and RMT rally

UNITE will be demonstrating at the City Chambers on Thursday 18 August at 9am as part of the industrial action.

Following this, the trade union will join the RMT rally on Waverley Bridge at 10am to foster solidarity among workers and hear from Mick Lynch and Mark Thomas.

THE CITY COUNCIL HAS ISSUED THE FOLLOWING ADVICE:

What to do with your waste and recycling

Communal services

Collections are suspended for all communal waste and recycling bins. Please do not add to full bins. Check nearby bins instead, and when these are all full, store your waste at home, or in your back green or garden if possible. Do not leave bags next to bins unless this is unavoidable, as it can become a hazard.

Keep separating your waste and rinse pots, tubs and trays, and rinse and squash your plastic bottles and aluminium cans, so that these don’t smell while you store them. Flatten cardboard too.

Keep food waste in a sealed container, as cool as possible.

Glass bank services will continue as these are managed by an external contactor.

Kerbside services

Non recyclable waste collections (grey bins)

Suspended. Please do not put your grey bin out. Please keep your waste safe, secure and away from pavements and roads. Consider using a garage, garden or driveway and ensure strong bin bags are properly secured.

Mixed recycling collections (green bins)

Suspended. Please do not put your green bin out. Please keep your recycling clean and flattened, and stored safely. 

Food waste collections

Suspended. Please do not put your food bin out. Please ensure your kerbside food waste bin is closed and secured to prevent animal access.

Glass collections (blue box)

Suspended. Please do not put your blue box out. Please rinse bottles and jars and store these at home. Please do not use on street or local bring site recycling points to dispose of your glass. We do not have the staff resources to empty these or clean up fly-tipped material.

Garden waste collections (brown bins)

Suspended. Please do not put your brown bin out.  We understand the disappointment this will cause and at the moment, we cannot advise when the service will be running normally again.

We are working on how best to replace the collections affected, and will provide further information on this later.

Report a missed bin

Since normal scheduled collections are suspended, we cannot take reports of missed bins. Please do not present your bin for collection until advised to do so.

Collections of bulky waste items

Suspended. Existing bookings will be honoured where staffing allows. If you have booked a special uplift and we can’t collect it, we will let you know.

Household waste recycling centres

Closed. It will not be possible to book an appointment, and all existing bookings will be contacted by email to cancel.

Request and replacing bins and boxes

Repair and replacement of bins and boxes are suspended. Uplifts of any unwanted waste containers is also suspended.

Litter/ dogs bins and street cleansing

Please also note there will be no street cleansing activities including street sweeping and litter bin emptying. Please either use a bin that’s not full or take it home and double bag it to reduce smells.

Waste reporting and enquires

We have removed all online reporting for waste and cleansing as we are unable to carry out these services during the industrial action. 

If you need to report an emergency issue where waste is causing injury or hazard, please phone and listen to the new options carefully. Phone 0131 608 1100, from Monday -Thursday 1000-1600 and Friday 1000-1500.  After these hours, phone 0131 200 2000.

You can also email waste@edinburgh.gov.uk with the specific location and details of the issue.

Please be mindful that staff working will be very busy and are all doing their best to deal with a lot of issues at this time.

1240 Edinburgh households take part in The Big Plastic Count

100 BILLION pieces of plastic packaging are estimated to be thrown away by UK households every year

81,272 pieces of plastic were thrown away in one week by 1240 households in Edinburgh, according to the UK’s largest ever survey of household plastic waste.

For one week in May, just under 100,000 households across the UK – nearly a quarter of a million people – counted their plastic packaging waste and sent their results to Greenpeace and Everyday Plastic as part of The Big Plastic Count. 

On average, each UK household threw away 66 pieces of plastic packaging in one week, with Edinburgh households being in line with this average. UK-wide, this amounts to an estimated 3,432 pieces per household when applied over a year.

Therefore, nearly 100 billion pieces of plastic packaging are estimated to be thrown away by UK households every year, with just 12% likely to be recycled in the UK. More of the UK’s household plastic waste (17%) is being shipped overseas than being recycled at home.

Almost half (46%) of the UK’s household plastic waste is being incinerated whilst the remaining 25% is buried in landfill.

83% of the plastic recorded was from food and drink packaging waste, with the most common item being fruit and vegetable packaging.

Marlena from Leith said: “I’m horrified to learn that just 12% of the plastic we produce is likely to be recycled, and that the rest ends up as pollution.

“I sort my plastic waste and recycle what I can, but it’s clear that this system can’t cope with all our waste, and that it’s up to Government and big brands to reduce the amount of plastic being produced in the first place.

“According to my plastic footprint, I use around 50 bits of plastic a week. 89% of that is for food and drink alone. Most of this plastic is designed to be used once and then thrown away. If supermarkets reduced the amount of fruit and vegetable wrapping, we could really cut down on plastic waste.”

This year, the government is starting to decide on legal targets to reduce waste. Greenpeace Edinburgh is calling on the Government to set legally binding targets to almost entirely eliminate single-use plastic, starting with a target of a 50% cut in single-use plastic by 2025.

Alternatives should be affordable, reusable and accessible, including to those with disabilities. Greenpeace Edinburgh volunteers are also calling for a ban on the dumping of our waste onto other countries, and for a UK-wide moratorium on new incineration capacity. 

Graphics to illustrate the findings of the Big Plastic Count. The country’s largest ever survey of household plastic waste can reveal that nearly 100 billion pieces of plastic are binned in the UK every year, with just 12% likely to be recycled.

Marlena continued: “When we were out and about in the Meadows and Portobello talking to local residents about The Big Plastic Count, people were really keen to take part, and to find out what really happens to the plastic they put into the bin or to the recycling bag. 

“So I’m pleased that Edinburgh North and Leith MP Deidre Brock spoke at the results event in Parliament this week, and urge all of our local MPs to call on the Westminster Government for the ambitious plastic reduction targets that we urgently need”.

Final-Big-Plastic-Count-Results-Report-V2Download

“SHAMEFUL”: £4 billion of unusable PPE bought in first year of pandemic will be burnt “to generate power”

The Department for Health & Social Care (DHSC) lost 75% of the £12 billion it spent on personal protective equipment (PPE) in the first year of the pandemic to inflated prices and kit that did not meet requirements – including fully £4 billion of PPE that will not be used in the NHS and needs to be disposed of.

There is no clear disposal strategy for this excess but the Department says it plans to burn significant volumes of it to generate power – though there are concerns about the cost-effectiveness and environmental impact of this “strategy”.

In a report today the Public Accounts Committee says that as a result of DHSC’s “haphazard purchasing strategy” 24% of the PPE contracts awarded are now in dispute – including contracts for products that were not fit for purpose and one contract for 3.5 billion gloves where there are allegations of modern slavery against the manufacturer.

The Committee says this only exacerbates DHSC’s “track record of failing to comply with the requirements of Managing Public Money even before the further exceptional challenges of the pandemic response”. It also raises concerns about “inappropriate unauthorised payoffs made to staff by health bodies”, with the planned large-scale NHS restructuring “increasing the risk of this happening again.”

Dame Meg Hillier MP, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said: “The story of PPE purchasing is perhaps the most shameful episode the UK government response to the pandemic.

“At the start of the pandemic health service and social care staff were left to risk their own and their families’ lives due to the lack of basic PPE. In a desperate bid to catch up the government splurged huge amounts of money, paying obscenely inflated prices and payments to middlemen in a chaotic rush during which they chucked out even the most cursory due diligence.

“This has left us with massive public contracts now under investigation by the National Crime Agency or in dispute because of allegations of modern slavery in the supply chain.

“Add to that a series of inappropriate, unauthorised severance payoffs made by clinical commissioning groups in the first year of the pandemic and the impression given falls even further from what we expect.

“DHSC singularly failed to manage this crisis, despite years of clear and known risk of a pandemic, and the challenges facing it now are vast, from getting the NHS back on its feet to preparing for the next major crisis. There are frankly too few signs that it is putting its house in order or knows how to.”

Further information:

The mega mountain of Jubilee waste

WITH some parts of the country in full-on celebration mode for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, spare a thought for the people who are going to be clearing up after all those street parties.

One British waste and recycling company has been crunching the numbers, and expects the country to get through enough beer, wine, spirits and soft drinks for the empties to stretch right around the planet.

And according to waste collection company Divert.co.uk, that’s just the tip of the iceberg, with enormous amounts of rubbish and food waste being generated over the long Bank Holiday weekend.

“This is one of the most extraordinary events in this country’s recent history,” says Divert.co.uk spokesperson Mark Hall, “and it’s right that we forget our troubles for a few days to party hard for the Queen’s jubilee.

“But that means Britain’s rubbish collectors are going to be working as hard as ever to keep the streets clean for the Queen – so try to make our jobs easier if you can!”

Jubilee recycling – by numbers

If the last two major royal events (the marriages of William and Kate, and Harry and Meghan) and the Euro 2020 football finals are anything to go by, then Brits are set to consume record amounts of booze and party food.

During just one football match during last year’s Euro finals (England’s 4-0 win over Ukraine), it’s estimated that 23,000,000 pints of beer were drunk in British homes alone.

To put that in perspective, those 23m pints in tins and bottles laid end-to-end would have reached from London to the North Pole.

And that’s before we factor in the wine drinkers. Retailers estimated some 4,000,000 bottles of bubbly alone were sunk during Harry and Meghan’s wedding, so it’s safe to say that the grand total for all wines would be in the ballpark of 10 million.

Laid end-to-end, those empties would reach from London to Istanbul.

And those estimates were based on events which lasted for single days. With the Jubilee holiday set to last for four days (and subtracting a small proportion for Sunday’s expected rain), Divert.co.uk expects those levels of waste to be easily beaten.

Then there’s the soft drinks for the millions of kids and non-drinkers who will also be celebrating.

That being the case, we fully expect that Britain’s empties will stretch 40,000 kilometres (24,000 miles), which is the circumference of the world.

“All we ask is that you recycle all your empties sensibly. We want this party to be as green as possible”, says Divert.co.uk’s Mark Hall.

Dealing with the Jubilee rubbish mountain

The Jubilee celebration isn’t all about drinking ourselves silly – there’ll also be street parties and picnics and home barbecues marking the Queen’s amazing 70 year reign.

That means there’ll be no end of food waste, food wrappers, and mile upon mile of plastic jubilee flag bunting.

Food wastage is likely to surpass that seen over the average Christmas week, Divert.co.uk’s Mark Hall fears. That’s over seven million tonnes of food.

“There’s only so much coronation chicken and roast swan you can eat”, he says, “So buy sensibly, and make sure you recycle your waste food sensibly.”

As for more festive waste: One company specialising in party supplies says that they were in danger of running out of Union Flag bunting, plastic table cloths, hats, fancy dress outfits, and other favours.

While – unsurprisingly – there’s not a great deal of official data on the sales of flag bunting and other ephemera, Divert.co.uk expects that the amount of bunting going into bins next week could easily rival the 40,000 kilometres of empty bottles and cans.

“And the trouble with that it that much of it is single use plastic,” says Mark Hall. “And that means dumping millions of Union Flags in landfill. Hardly the patriotic image that we want to see.”

Why not, then, keep hold of your used bunting and flags for the next big British celebration to come along, Divert.co.uk suggests.

“There’s the World Cup coming up later this year, and you never know … !” says Mark.

Sadly that’s not an issue for Scotland, Mark …

Letters: Do you still notice how much plastic you use?

Dear Editor,

Do you still notice how much plastic you use? Join me for

thebigplasticcount.com/join-in 

Between 16th – 22nd May, Greenpeace and Everyday Plastic are running the Big Plastic Count, and the Greenpeace Edinburgh Group is taking part.

This will be the UK’s biggest ever investigation into household plastic waste, and what really happens to our recycling.

The UK produces more plastic waste per person than almost any other country, only the USA is worse.

We need to take much faster action to clean up this plastic mess, which spoils Edinburgh’s neighbourhoods, and harms our climate, nature and health.

This year, the government is starting to decide on legal targets to reduce plastic waste. Greenpeace Edinburgh volunteers want them to set a target to reduce single-use plastic by 50% by 2025 and ban dumping our waste onto other countries.

I still can’t believe how much plastic I end up with every time I do a supermarket shop. It has gotten to the point that I hardly even notice all the wrapping I bring home because it has felt impossible to find plastic-free versions of my favourite products.

But every time my bin hits its spilling point, my single-use plastic shame stares me in the face. Do we really need bananas wrapped in plastic? Or little crisp bags wrapped in a bigger bag just for convenience?

It would be best to stop producing so much plastic in the first place but if we could at least find ways to make recycling easy and rewarding. For instance, if we could take our plastic bottles back to the shop and receive a small refund then Leith Links would be squeaky clean.

Greenpeace volunteers have been taking action on plastic pollution for years. For example, in September 2021 we did a beach clean, where the majority of rubbish was plastic that should have been recycled, or even better, not produced in the first place. 

We, like lots of other Edinburgh residents are trying to do their bit, and Government, supermarkets and brands need to do theirs to cut plastic too.

Schools, community groups, businesses, local residents – sign-up now to join us at thebigplasticcount.com/join-in !

Marlena

Leith, Edinburgh

Pupil poster designs to help boost school recycling rates across capital

Posters designed by primary and secondary school pupils in Edinburgh are to front a city-wide campaign aimed at boosting recycling rates in classrooms.

The six striking and colourful designs were chosen from more than 900 entries to a poster competition run by the City of Edinburgh Council for P4-S2 pupils.

And, as well as encouraging recycling, the posters highlight the benefits that recycling food, paper and plastics brings to Edinburgh and the natural world.

Posters by Kayleigh Mok from James Gillespie’s Primary School, Coral Creswell from St Thomas of Aquin’s RC High School and Charlotte McPhail from Flora Stevenson Primary School, will be displayed in all primary and special education needs schools across the city.

Artwork by Arran Smith from Davidson’s Mains Primary School, Arla Howe-Speirs from East Craigs Primary School, Elise Ballinger from Preston Street Primary School, will feature in all Edinburgh secondary schools.

The posters are part of a move by the City of Edinburgh Council to ensure a consistent approach to waste management in schools across the city.

From after the Easter holidays (April 25th) dry-mixed recycling and food bins will be offered to all primary, secondary and special education need schools in the capital.

Schools will be supported with information and materials helping to show what items can be placed in each bin, as well as materials, including lesson plans, aimed at raising awareness of the benefits of recycling as the city moves towards its target of net zero emissions by 2030.

The move follows on from a primary school Youth Climate Summit held in the run up to COP26 last year, which found that pupils overwhelmingly wanted more recycling facilities in their schools, to help tackle waste and support climate action. 

Leader of the Council, Adam McVey said: “We know for many schools in Edinburgh, taking steps to become more sustainable and cutting our carbon footprint has become part of daily life.

“These fantastic posters really help to highlight the importance of recycling and the benefits that it can bring to Edinburgh, from helping to protect our wildlife, to turning food waste into electricity.

“And, we hope this campaign will help to provide schools who just need a little extra support, to make it as easy as possible for pupils, teachers and school staff to make changes, that make a difference and help create a cleaner, greener city.”

Deputy Leader of the Council, Cammy Day said: “Highlighting the environmental and social benefits of cutting down on waste and making it even easier to recycle in schools across the city, will help introduce green habits to Edinburgh’s young people which will last a lifetime.

“It’s really important we all get in the habit of disposing of our waste correctly and reusing and recycling where we can. Making sure there are the same systems and approach to waste in schools across the city will make it even easier for pupils and school staff to help Edinburgh reach its climate targets.”