Tag: City Centre

Councillors to discuss finalised proposals for city centre Low Emission Zone next week

A final proposed Low Emission Zone (LEZ) for Edinburgh has been published for approval ahead of its planned introduction next Spring.

Proposals for a city centre LEZ applying to all motor vehicles, except motorcycles and mopeds, and with a two-year grace period, were first reported to Transport and Environment Committee in June. These have been reviewed following a major, 12-week consultation involving both statutory and non-statutory consultees.

Participants were asked for their views on key elements of the LEZ, such as the boundary, grace period and whether local exemptions should be allowed. More than 5000 responses were received, with around 100 on behalf of organisations. After careful analysis of feedback, it has been recommended to proceed with the city centre zone approved for consultation in June.

While there was support for the LEZ in principle, some issues were raised by respondents, amongst which are the potential for the restrictions to displace traffic around the zone’s boundary and the two-year grace period being too short.

The report published yesterday, to be considered by Transport and Environment Committee on Tuesday 26 October, responds to the main areas of concern, providing reassurance around the effectiveness of the scheme, support for people to adjust and mitigating measures, in particular a Network Management Strategy. This is being developed to reduce any traffic and air quality impacts.

Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “The publication of the final LEZ for approval is the culmination of a power of work analysing monitoring data, assessing consultation feedback and scenario-modelling, so it’s fantastic to have reached this point at last.

“Being able to breathe clean air is a basic right that everyone in the city deserves and this scheme, along with the many other projects to encourage sustainable transport, is key to achieving this. We urgently need to address air pollution and the damage it’s doing to our health.

“I’m confident that the LEZ being put forward for approval will have a really positive effect, while taking into account any impact on local businesses, residents and traffic patterns.”

Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, said: “This report outlines the many measures that will be taken as we continue to develop the LEZ ahead of its introduction next spring to ensure it works for everyone, while doing the essential job of limiting air pollution in the city.

“This is central to our plans to deliver a more sustainable, environmentally friendly transport future in Edinburgh.”

Dr Mark Miller, Senior Research Fellow at The University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Cardiovascular Science, added: “The research we have carried out with the support of the British Heart Foundation has unequivocally shown that the particles in vehicle exhaust have harmful effects in the heart and circulation.

“These effects would make a person more likely to develop heart disease over time and could even increase the chances of a heart attack or stroke. It is vital that we adopt measures to reduce the levels of these harmful pollutants from our environment.”

An evidence-led approach was taken when developing the LEZ, adhering to the National Low Emission Framework and based on detailed traffic and air quality modelling and data.

The city centre boundary was selected based on various factors, including the expected limited impact of a larger zone and predictions that an alternative city centre zone would have longer lasting negative impacts on air quality at its boundary.

While it is not expected that air pollution will get worse across the city due to diversions around the boundary, and with cleaner vehicles expected to use the surrounding area, the Network Management Strategy aims to mitigate any short-term impacts near the boundary. This is likely to include junction reconfigurations, improvements to signage and optimised signalling.

Other measures to mitigate the impact of the LEZ are the two-year grace period, which is considered sufficient to allow people to prepare, and several support funds currently available for lower income households and small businesses.

Once the LEZ is in place, vehicles must meet a minimum emissions standard to enter the zone freely, and those that don’t will be considered non-compliant and subject to penalties.

Penalty charges are set nationally at £60 for non-compliant vehicles (though halved if paid within 30 days), with the penalty rate roughly doubling for subsequent contraventions to a maximum level depending on the vehicle.

Following the two-year grace period for Edinburgh’s LEZ, enforcement will begin in spring 2024.

Read the full report, Low Emission Zone – Consultation & Development, on the Council website and watch the discussion live via webcast from 10am on Tuesday, 26 October.

You can also find out more about the LEZ on CEC’s dedicated web pages.

Have you seen Bervely?

*** UPDATE ***

*MISSING PERSON TRACED*

Police have confirmed that Bervely Chaleka has been traced safe and well. Her family have been notified.

PI Keith Forrester said “Thanks very much for all the shares and comments, they helped us to find Bervely.”

Police in Edinburgh are continuing to seek the public’s support to find Bervely Chaleka, who went mssing on Monday evening.

Bervely is 25 years old and is described as 5’ 7” in height with short black hair. When she was last seen she was wearing a white headscarf, navy jacket and light patterned trousers (see attached picture).

Inspector Keith Forrester from Wester Hailes Police Station said: “Thank you for sharing my previous post and for the feedback so far.

“Bervely is known to have travelled in to the city centre on Monday evening to visit shops on Princes Street and she was seen sitting at the tram stop at St Andrews Square between 7:30pm – 9:30pm before walking away northwards.

“If you have information about her whereabouts, or you have seen her on or since Monday night, please phone ‘101’ quoting incident number 491 of 21/09/2021.

“Bervely, if you see this message, please contact Police or your family to let us know you are safe. Thank you“

Have your say on city council’s Low Emission Zone proposals

More than 4000 people have told the city council what they think of proposals to introduce a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in Edinburgh, with less than two weeks left to take part in the consultation.

CEC is seeking people’s views on proposals for an LEZ in Edinburgh’s city centre, which would require all motor vehicles, other than mopeds and motorcycles (and exempted vehicles), to meet minimum emissions standards to enter the zone freely. The council intends to introduce the LEZ by spring 2022, with a two-year grace period before enforcement begins, to help people adjust to the changes.

People have until 20 September to take part in the consultation asking about travel habits and for responses to the scheme, including the city centre boundary, the two-year grace period and exemptions. As of Thursday (9 September), 4025 people had already responded.

To help you have your say on the proposals, the council has put together some key facts about the LEZ (below).

Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “It’s great that so many people have already taken the time to share their views on our proposals. This is a change that could affect anyone coming into the city centre, as well as all those that live here, so I would encourage as many people as possible to take part before the consultation closes.

“It’s really important that people are able to make informed responses to the consultation, which is why we’ve gathered together some key facts about the scheme, and we hope these will dispel some of the myths about how it would operate.

Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, said: “People have already told us how important clean air is to them, and our proposals aim to improve air quality while also supporting all those who live and work here to adjust to the changes.

“By reducing the most polluting vehicles in the city, alongside other projects to reduce congestion and facilitate travel by foot, bike or wheel, we could create a safer, cleaner and healthier city.”

Joseph Carter, Head of Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation Scotland said: “Low Emission Zones are a vital step towards improving Scotland’s air quality and people’s lung health.

“Air pollution causes as many as 2000 premature deaths in Scotland every year so it is crucial that we take steps to reduce the levels we are exposed to, especially in our busy cities.

“We encourage everyone to take a moment and have their say to help ensure the Edinburgh LEZ plan is robust and will help to create a world where everyone can breathe clean air with healthy lungs.”

Feedback to the consultation will help inform a finalised LEZ plan, to be brought back to the Transport and Environment Committee in the autumn, before the statutory process for introducing the scheme begins.

In 2019 we carried out a consultation on initial proposals for LEZs in Edinburgh, with responses showing that cleaner air is important to everyone.

LEZ: Key facts

Why are we introducing an LEZ?

  • We want to reduce air pollution, for which road traffic is the main source. By limiting the most polluting vehicles in the LEZ we want to create cleaner air and improve people’s health in this densely populated part of the city.
  • Introducing the LEZ will significantly improve air quality, reducing traffic related (NO2 – nitrogen dioxide) emissions in the city centre by 55% – equivalent to 25-30 tonnes per year, when compared to 2019 levels.

Will this negatively impact those who need to drive in the city?

  • We want to make sure that those who need to drive into the city still can, so blue badge holders and emergency vehicles will be amongst those exempt from the restrictions.
  • Only the most polluting vehicles will be affected – we expect the majority of drivers not to be affected by the changes.
  • By the time enforcement begins in 2024 only diesel cars less than nine years old and petrol cars less than 18 years old will be able to drive in the zone.

Why are we proposing a boundary that only covers the city centre and not the whole city?

  • An evidence-led approach was taken when appraising options for an LEZ, adhering to the National Low Emission Framework and based on detailed traffic and air quality modelling and data. Each option was assessed against a series of principles and objectives including the reduction of harmful NO2 and greenhouse gas emissions and minimising the displacement of traffic as a result of the LEZ.
  • This work suggested a citywide boundary would have a limited impact, with commercial fleet already improving in emissions standards. In 2020, Edinburgh traffic surveys showed Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) were already 76-95% compliant, while Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs), or vans, had increased in compliance to 48% from 7% in 2016.
  • Over 60% of bus and coach fleet here (excluding Lothian Buses) was compliant in February 2020 and Lothian Buses are already on the road to reaching full compliance with the LEZ requirements by the end of 2021.
  • It is anticipated that the effects of vehicles complying with a city centre boundary will filter out to the wider city, with all buses and taxis becoming compliant with LEZ rules covering the whole city. According to modelling by SEPA, for areas that are not in the LEZ, it is predicted that harmful Nitrogen Oxides emissions from traffic sources will decline by 15% when compared to 2019 levels.

Will an LEZ generate money for the Council but disproportionately affect low income households? 

  • LEZs improve public health and help to save money, supporting the NHS to reduce health inequalities. By allowing a two-year grace period we want to give people time to prepare for the changes before 2024.
  • There’s also funding available to help people prepare for the LEZ, with up to £3000 in grants for households on certain benefits to scrap polluting vehicles and invest in more sustainable transport. Small businesses can also benefit from up to £2,500 from the Energy Saving Trust.
  • Scotland’s LEZs will issue fines to the most polluting vehicles only and are not designed to generate income. The Scottish LEZs are not designed in the same way as the Clean Air Zones in other parts of the UK which essentially set a fee for entering in a non-compliant vehicle. The Edinburgh LEZ will issue fines for non-compliance set at rates which will discourage repeat contraventions.

Is this a Council strategy or something encouraged by the Scottish Government?

  • We have been working to introduce an LEZ in Edinburgh since 2018 in line with the Scottish Government’s commitment to implement LEZs in Scotland’s four largest cities – Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee – to tackle air pollution and protect public health.
  • Our own City Mobility Plan – Edinburgh’s ten-year-transport strategy – commits to developing an LEZ alongside several other measures to tackle congestion, support cleaner air and support the move towards low emission transport. These include the Workplace Parking Levy (subject to consultation), the completion of the tram line to Newhaven and expansion of the active travel network.

Are you planning to increase electric vehicle charging infrastructure to help people comply with the LEZ?

  • Although you don’t have to have an electric vehicle to drive in the LEZ (newer petrol and diesel vehicles will still be allowed), the Council is working to develop electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the city to help facilitate these types of vehicles.
  • We’ve been awarded £2.2m of funding from Transport Scotland through the Switched-On Towns and Cities Fund for installing on street chargers. A total of 66 of these chargers will be put in across the city as part of the first phase of implementation. This is expected to be completed by 31 March 2022.
  • There are already publicly accessible electric vehicle chargers located around the city. Their locations can be found on the Charge Place Scotland website.

Take part in the LEZ consultation, which runs until 20 September, on the Council website.

Edinburgh’s proposed Low Emission Zone: share your views

The City of Edinburgh Council aims to reduce air pollution, since it presents a significant threat to public health. It is especially harmful to young children, the elderly and those suffering from pre-existing conditions, including heart and lung diseases.

Low Emission Zones (LEZs) are being introduced across Scotland’s four largest cities: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee in response to dangerous levels of air pollution, primarily nitrogen dioxide (NO2), generated by road traffic.

Low Emission Zones (LEZs) aspire to improve public health, by discouraging the most polluting vehicles from entering an area. If a vehicle entering a LEZ does not meet the minimum exhaust emission standard, then a penalty fine is issued.

The council says the zone is intended to only target the most polluting vehicles:

‘Only the most polluting vehicles will be affected by our proposed #LowEmissionZone and there will be exemptions for vehicles like the emergency services and blue badge holders’.

The city council is now consulting on it’s proposals and would like to hear your views.

Find out more and share your views here:

https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/low-emission-zone/

The consultation closes on 20 September.

Dunard Centre plans unveiled

Images of the proposed new design for the Dunard Centre supported by Royal Bank of Scotland, reveal an opportunity to make an ‘inspiring contribution to the city’s cultural rebuild‘, project leaders IMPACT Scotland said yesterday.

One of the boldest ventures in the city’s recent past, Edinburgh’s first purpose-built music and performance venue in over one hundred years will rival the best in the world in acoustic quality and audience experience, bringing together architect Sir David Chipperfield, recognised throughout the world for high quality architecture in sensitive heritage sites and leading acousticians Nagata Acoustics, established international authorities in the field of concert hall design. 

As the cultural flagship for the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, the Dunard Centre will fill a recognised gap in the region’s cultural infrastructure and provide a platform for local, national and international musicians to perform to audiences in the very best environment.

The 1000 capacity hall is designed with the flexibility to welcome the widest possible range of acoustic and amplified music and performance to a mid-sized venue.

The simple elegance of the exterior reflects the surrounding neoclassical design of the Edinburgh New Town and opens up an undiscovered area of the city centre, linking the St James Quarter, St Andrew Square and the Register Lanes and contributing to the regeneration of the area. 

Impact Co-chair Fergus Linehan said: “We are delighted to unveil the stunning design for the Dunard Centre which will be a truly transformational venue in the heart of Edinburgh.  

“The restrictions throughout the pandemic have highlighted the enormous contribution participating in the performing arts, whether as an audience member or a performer, makes to our wellbeing.

“It is a great honour to be leading a project which will make such a positive and inspiring contribution to the city’s cultural rebuild.” 

Co-chair Gavin Reid added: “As well as being a creative hub hosting music and educational experiences of all kinds, the Dunard Centre will reach out beyond its own walls to be an inspirational springboard for outreach work across the city and beyond.”

Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal partners also welcomed the announcement.

UK Government Minister for Scotland Iain Stewart said: “The Dunard Centre is an exciting prospect for Edinburgh’s cultural landscape. 

“These designs show the great potential for a new, dynamic creative space in the heart of the city.

“The UK Government is investing £10 million in this project as part of it’s £1.5 billion commitment to Region Deals across Scotland, helping communities everywhere to build back better from the pandemic.”

City of Edinburgh Council Leader Adam McVey said: “The Dunard Centre is an exciting and important new cultural venue for our Capital. This is the first purpose-built concert venue in Edinburgh in more than 100 years which will expand Edinburgh’s landscape for enjoying music and the arts.  

“It is in a prime central and sustainable location, with fantastic public transport connections and will complement the wider transformation of the east end of the city centre alongside the opening of the Edinburgh St James Quarter- ensuring that our City centre remains a vibrant and thriving destination.”

Malcolm Buchanan, chair, Scotland Board, Royal Bank of Scotland, said: “The Dunard Centre is an exciting proposition that will enrich the city’s education, music and arts communities and one that we are proud to be part of.

“Royal Bank of Scotland has supported Scotland’s arts sectors throughout its 300-year history, three centuries which have cemented Edinburgh and the country’s position as a capital for global culture.

“The Dunard Centre will play a role in continuing that tradition and create further opportunity for another generation of artists and performers.”

Sir David Chipperfield said: “Tucked behind Dundas House and on axis with George Street, the Dunard Centre occupies a strategic site linking the formal qualities of St. Andrew Square and the New Town with the more intimate atmosphere of lanes around Register House towards the new St. James Quarter.

“The identity of the building is determined by its circular form, contributing to the silhouette of the city and enclosing a 1,000-seat hall. This flexible world-class facility is designed to adapt to a wide-ranging programme of performances and cultural activities, ensuring it will serve as a meaningful new addition to the life and fabric of Edinburgh.”

The redesigned building will house:

⦁ 1000 capacity auditorium with the capacity for live streaming, digital capture and broadcasting
⦁ flexible multi-purpose rooms for education, conferencing and hospitality
⦁ foyer with informal opportunity for performance
⦁ café/bar with indoor and outdoor seating

The space has been skilfully re-imagined to create a world-class auditorium of exceptional acoustic quality in the heart of the city, retaining the 1000 capacity, while reducing the size of the proposed building.

The budget for the project remains at £75 million, with two-thirds of this being met by private philanthropy and fundraising. £35 million is being donated by Dunard Fund, and a fundraising campaign for a further £15 million has already received significant pledges.

As part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal the UK and Scottish Governments are each providing £10 million, and City of Edinburgh Council £5 million.

A variation to the planning application is being submitted this week. If planning permission is granted, construction will begin in 2022, with an estimated build length of 3 years.

Let’s commit to cleaner air

Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport and Environment Convener, explains Edinburgh’s proposals for a Low Emission Zone:

Every year, Clean Air Day gives us pause for thought. Is it acceptable that poor air quality affects the health and wellbeing of some of our most vulnerable members of society, linking to hundreds of deaths across Scotland each year? 

On the eve of the annual event, we’re preparing to ask that question as Transport and Environment Committee considers the preferred option for a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in Edinburgh. 

This moment has been years in the making and follows a great deal of evidence-led research, in close partnership with Transport Scotland, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) and a range of other organisations.

In 2019, when we consulted on our initial proposals, people told us how important cleaner air is to them, reinforcing the need for action. But they also shared concerns and questions about the original proposals for city centre and citywide LEZs, and how they’d be implemented.

We’ve taken this feedback into account to develop objectives for the LEZ scheme, notably a reduction in NO2 and greenhouse gas emissions, but also to minimise any resulting traffic displacement and, importantly, to align with our broader sustainable transport ambitions. 

Working to these objectives and in line with the National Modelling Framework set by SEPA, officers have spent months appraising LEZ options for Edinburgh, incorporating traffic, emissions and air dispersion modelling to assess the impacts of any scheme.

As a result, a city centre LEZ, applying to all motor vehicles except motorcycles and mopeds, has been put forward.

This is different from our original proposal in that it doesn’t include a citywide option affecting only commercial vehicles. This decision wasn’t taken lightly but was led by the evidence. For a start, air quality is getting better across the city, which is having a positive impact on Air Quality Management Areas outside of the centre. 

Analysis of commercial-type fleet shows improvements are already being made – in 2020 up to 95% of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) were compliant, while smaller vans had increased in compliance from 7% in 2016 to 48%. Buses are becoming more efficient too, with a commitment from Lothian Buses to be fully compliant by the end of this year and 60% of all other companies’ coach and bus fleet currently meeting LEZ requirements. 

These findings are promising and reflect the air quality benefits experienced in other cities, where LEZs have had a knock-on effect on the surrounding areas, with cleaner vehicles entering the zone and travelling further afield, spreading the benefits.

The preferred option means we can focus resources on the densely populated city centre, where traffic pollution is highest and where many people are subject to its negative effects. 

If approved by committee (it was – Ed.), we’ll be carrying out a public consultation in the coming months, with a view to introducing an LEZ by spring next year. To help people adjust to the changes we’ll be allowing a grace period, which has been extended from one year to two to support the city’s economic recovery post-pandemic. Exemptions for blue badge holders and other essential vehicles will be in place too.

Though the LEZ will mean a step-change for the way we tackle poor air quality in the Capital, it’s just one of a range of tools to reduce air pollution. As part of our City Mobility Plan we’re focused on facilitating and promoting healthy, sustainable travel, while City Centre Transformation, along with associated projects to improve walking and cycling infrastructure, will create a truly people-friendly city.

It’s through initiatives like these that we’ll be able to enjoy an environment worthy of Clean Air Day in years to come. 

This article first appeared in the Edinburgh Evening News

Early green light for city centre cyclists

The council has installed new advanced green lights for cyclists in the city centre to help improve cycle safety around tram tracks.

The lights, which have been introduced at a number of locations around Princes Street, St Andrew Square and the West End, give cyclists more space and time at key junctions.

This is the latest in a series of measures to improve safety for people cycling near the city centre tram route over recent years. These include red-surfaced cycle lanes at key points to make it easier to cross the tram tracks, more advance stop boxes and additional warning signs for drivers and cyclists.

Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “Cycle safety is of utmost importance to us, and in recent years we have worked to introduce several changes to help protect cyclists travelling near the tram tracks.

“By introducing early release green lights for cyclists we are giving anyone travelling by bike more space at a number of busy junctions around the city centre.”

Drivers are being advised to look out for the early release green lights for cyclists. Drivers must wait for their own green light and are encouraged to give people cycling a lot of extra space around tram tracks.

The council has recently introduced several measures to create safer spaces for walking and cycling in the city centre as part of the Spaces for People programme.

Amongst these are temporary segregated cycle lanes between Forrest Road and the Mound, the closure of Waverley Bridge to motor traffic at the junction with Princes Street and widened pavements on East Princes Street and South St David Street.

Advanced green lights for people cycling have been installed on specific approach arms at the following junctions:

  • North St Andrew Street / St Andrew Square
  • South St Andrew Street / St Andrew Square
  • Princes Street / The Mound
  • Princes Street / Frederick Street
  • Princes Street / Lothian Road
  • Shandwick Place / Princes Street
  • Atholl Place / Manor Place
  • West Maitland Street / Palmerston Place
  • Dalry Road / Haymarket Junction

Find out more about tram safety on the Council website.

Police appeal following early hours robbery

Police in Edinburgh are appealing for information following an armed robbery in the city centre.

The incident happened around 2.45am yesterday (Thursday, 6 August, 2020) when a man entered the Costcutter Store on Lothian Road and threatened a member of staff with a knife. 

He then demanded money from the till drawer before leaving on foot in the direction of Princes Street with a small quantity of cash.

The suspect is described as a white man, around 5ft 8in tall and of a slim build. At the time of the incident he was wearing a black hooded top, black tracksuit bottoms, grey woollen gloves and his face was covered with black sunglasses and a red scarf.

Detective Sergeant Keith Taylor, of Edinburgh CID, said: “Thankfully nobody has been injured as a result of this incident but the member of staff has been left evidently shaken.

“Although this happened in the early hours of the morning, I would ask that if anyone noticed a man matching this description or anyone acting suspicious in the area to get in contact with police.

“I would also ask if anyone has any dashcam or CCTV footage of the surrounding area and may have information that could assist with our investigation to come forward.

“Police can be contacted on 101 quoting incident number 0400 of Thursday, 6 August, 2020. Alternatively, the charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

The Citizen Network: A Revitalised City is Possible

There is no better time for the citizens of Edinburgh to pitch in and contribute to a Manifesto for the City Creating Our Manifesto for the City ⋆ The Citizen Network

Calls for no return to unequal and unjust normalcy following Covid-19 have come from many quarters, some of them quite unexpected, and there’s no doubt that many of the persistent problems of city life will be reassessed by those who govern us, whether that be Westminster, Holyrood or Edinburgh City Chambers.

But let’s not fool ourselves, what’s promised by politicians now may never transpire. Real change will not happen without direct action by citizens; for Edinburgh, Citizen’s Manifesto is the first step.

 

The need for citizens to hold politicians to account is already evident from reports of ‘stakeholder’ discussions pertaining to post-pandemic Edinburgh.

Consider first what Council leader Adam McVey had to say about the city’s Summer festivals: “By working together we can make sure that when our festivals return, they do so with even more of a focus on our people, place and environment.” So far so good but one is tempted to question the ‘even more’ – there has been scant attention to people place and environment in festival planning in recent years.

[“Edinburgh festivals face calls for overhaul before they return in 2021”]

In the same Scotsman article note that the city’s residents are absent when our cherished heritage is flagged up as needing not just preservation but enhancement by the festivals. Clearly, this pipe-dream does not extend to those who live in this ‘remarkable backdrop’.

But it’s the reaction of Essential Edinburgh that confirms that not all stakeholders are thinking about anything other than business as usual post Covid-19.

Roddy Smith, the Chief Executive, says “We need to reactivate the city, promote it strongly and widely and seek over the next couple of years to return to our numbers pre the virus.”

The same message can be deduced from the report from the meeting last week of the new tourism ‘oversight group’ for Edinburgh.

The group includes Edinburgh Tourism Action Group (ETAG), Edinburgh Airport, Festivals Edinburgh, Visit Scotland, Essential Edinburgh and the Chamber of Commerce – again not one resident has a seat at the table. Adam McVey reported that the group had reaffirmed the aims of Edinburgh’s new Tourism Strategy which was agreed pre-pandemic.

How can this be? Have we learned nothing these last few weeks?

So, the coronavirus will not miraculously change our world for the better. The citizens will have to insist on it, and the Manifesto for the City is an excellent starting place.

Let’s face it, change is difficult – most of us are stuck with at least one foot in the past and are in some way resigned to the way things are. To paraphrase a French philosopher, we are all ‘half accomplices’, demanding radical change while at the same time clinging to what we have become accustomed to.

But the city will change whether we like it or not, and citizens need to rise to the challenge and drive that change – now is the time to articulate our values and our aspirations; now is the time to really get beyond ourselves.

SEAN BRADLEY

Image credit: Astrid Jaekel

Ditching Disposables

Global first is part of £1m plan to ditch disposables in Scottish communities

More than a dozen organisations across Scotland are to take part in a £1million pilot project testing alternatives to single-use disposable items.

Zero Waste Scotland will deliver a total of 14 projects with a wide range of community partners over the next 12 months to tackle a range of single-use items, from coffee cups to water bottles and food packaging.

Supported by the Scottish Government and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the scheme will see organisations from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fife, Caithness, Stirling, and East and West Lothian trial alternatives to single-use products – such as reusable and packaging-free options.

In Edinburgh, independent cafes and restaurants in Portobello and Joppa will receive support to reduce their use of disposable items such as cups, bottles, stirrers, sachets, straws and serving ware.

A range of independent cafes and hospitality businesses in central Edinburgh will also pilot a deposit return coffee cup scheme, with potential to introduce a charge on disposable cups.

The Ditching Disposables project will include a deposit return scheme for reusable coffee cups and separate charging for disposable cups across several Scottish towns and cities. Both of these actions have been highlighted as key ways to tackle consumption of single use cups by the Scottish Government’s Expert Panel on Environmental Charging and Other Measures (EPECOM).

The deposit return scheme for cups will see customers in some communities pay a small deposit when purchasing their drink that will be refunded when they return their reusable cup, so it can be washed and used again. It is believed to be the first time anywhere in the world that a deposit return scheme for reusable cups and separate charging for disposable cups have been run in tandem.

Other projects will see single-use water bottles removed from sale and replaced with water fountains and cordial dispensers. Another will trial a reusable event kit to be shared between the community, and includes piloting reusable cups for drinks, for example, at music gigs.

Zero Waste Scotland chief executive, Iain Gulland, said: “We know single-use items are blighting communities across Scotland and it is something we are determined to tackle. Some of these are only used for a matter of minutes yet can hang around our environment for years. We are working with communities to see what can be done to solve issues they have identified.

“Four fifths of our carbon footprint as a nation comes from the products and materials we consume. That’s a huge proportion, and single-use items are an entirely unnecessary part of that.

“Curbing our consumption habit is vital if we want to have a real impact on the climate emergency, so it’s fantastic to have so many organisations right across Scotland on board to look at what we can change to pioneer an alternative approach.”

The projects announced yesterday follow an initial closed pilot between Zero Waste Scotland and NHS Ayrshire & Arran, under which reusable coffee cups and a 10p charge for disposable cups were introduced in the canteen at University Hospital Crosshouse in Kilmarnock.

These changes, along with improvements to recycling provision and signage, saw the reuse rate for coffee cups increase from 1% to nearly half of all hot drink sales. Meanwhile the volume of disposable cups consumed dropped by 157 per day – that’s an estimated 57,000 a year.

The Ditching Disposables pilots will aim to achieve similar results in an open setting, with independent coffee shops across Thurso and Wick, Stirling, central Edinburgh and North Berwick offering reusable coffee cups for a deposit, which customers can drop back to any participating local café.

Crucially, these trials will combine deposit reusable cups with a charge on disposable cups – believed to be the first time this has been trialled anywhere in the world.

Iain Gulland continued: “This is a great example of how upscaling small changes can make a big difference. We know incentivising reuse works – and for businesses it’s a chance to respond directly to customer demand and open up new economic opportunities at the same time as cutting their carbon footprint.”

Ditching Disposables is part of Zero Waste Scotland’s Resource Efficient Circular Economy Accelerator Programme, which will invest £73m in circular economy and resource efficiency projects, thanks to support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).