Consultation on a household recycling code of practice
People across Scotland are being invited to have their say on proposals to make recycling easier and more consistent.
The Scottish Government consultation seeks views on a new household recycling code of practice, which also aims to increase recycling rates and help reduce carbon emissions.
Clear standards for how councils collect and manage household waste and recycling are part of the draft code, which proposes:
a move towards more households having collections of paper and card separately from plastic, metal and cartons to reduce recycling contamination
clear and consistent definitions of materials accepted for kerbside collection to provide clarity for the public on what can be recycled
limits on general waste capacity, to encourage greater use of recycling and food waste collections
nationally recommended colours for recycling bins to make it easier to understand how to recycle
Delivering a key commitment of the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act, the code has been developed through extensive engagement with local authorities, waste management practitioners and environmental organisations. The consultation now gives communities, individuals and organisations across Scotland the chance to shape the final code before it is laid before the Scottish Parliament.
It also clarifies that flexible plastic and plastic films should also be collected from households. The consultation also seeks views on proposals developed with local authorities and stakeholders regarding how food and garden waste should be collected and how rural exemptions should apply.
Modelling suggests the code could increase Scotland’s household recycling rate by approximately 2.5% and reduce carbon emissions by around 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent a year, equivalent to the annual emissions from more than 27,000 petrol cars.
Gillian Martin, Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs, said: “Recycling well shouldn’t depend on where you live. This code will help make sure it is easier for people right across Scotland, in both our cities and rural communities, to recycle more.
“We’ve worked closely with councils and stakeholders on these proposals and I am grateful to them for their constructive engagement to get us to this stage. However, it is clear that there’s more to get right before the code is finalised.
“I’d encourage everyone with a view, whether you’re a council, a community group or simply someone who wants to see Scotland recycle better, to take part in this consultation and help us shape the final code.”
From taking charge as Mayor of Leith to airing local frustrations at the Complaint Department, the Leith Imaginarium invited people to help shape what Leith could become in 2028 and beyond
Supporter of the bid for Leith to become inaugural UK Town of Culture 2028, Chitra Ramaswamy, hosts Leith local to discuss their stories and memories during Sunday’s Imaginarium. Image credit: James Duncan
Leithers shared their stories, hopes, ideas for the future and frustrations on Sunday (25 October), as the Leith Imaginarium brought the town’s UK Town of Culture 2028 consultation to the Wee Museum of Memory at Ocean Terminal.
The free drop-in event formed part of the work to make sure Leith’s bid is shaped by the people who know the town best. Leith is one of 15 places shortlisted from nearly 400 applications to become the UK’s first Town of Culture, in the same year it will mark 900 years since its first written record.
A mother and son, visitors to the Leith Town of Culture 2028 Imaginarium event on Sunday 25 October, putting their thoughts on the interactive map. Image credit: James Duncan
Rather than a traditional consultation, the Imaginarium used a series of playful activities to explore what people love about Leith, what needs to change and what they want the town to become.
Visitors were invited to sit in a giant Mayor of Leith chair, don a ceremonial chain and answer the question: “If you were Mayor for one day, what would you do?”
Elsewhere, a colourful Leith Washing Line grew throughout the event as people pegged up comment cards sharing “a story I love”, “something Leith needs”, “a big idea”, “my hope for 2028” and nominations for “Leith heroes”.
A visitor to the Leith Town of Culture 2028 Imaginarium event on Sunday 25 October, puts her thoughts on the Leith Washing Line. Image credit: James Duncan
At the Complaint Department, people were encouraged to get their gripes off their chest by recording frustrations, obstacles and things they would like to see change, before being asked to imagine what a better alternative could look like.
A giant illustrated map became a collective portrait of the town, with visitors marking places they love, hidden gems, places with potential, and areas they feel need attention.
The Complaints Department hosted by Jed Milroy of Tinderbox Collective as part of Sunday’s Imaginarium event. Image credit: James Duncan
There were also Sofa Stories, capturing people’s memories and hopes for Leith; a poster-making activity exploring what makes people proud of the town; and a roaming exercise collecting words and lines towards a collaborative song or poem. Visitors were given a Leith Passport on arrival, collecting stamps as they shared stories, hopes, ideas, what they felt was missing and their local heroes.
A group of visitors interact with the giant map of Leith at the Imaginarium event as part of the Leith Town of Culture 2028 bid. Image credit: James Duncan
What Leith had to say
While the team will now work through the material gathered during the day, some strong themes are already emerging. Early feedback from conversations at the Imaginarium highlighted Leith’s heritage, the impact of change, and the importance people place on Leith maintaining its own identity distinct from Edinburgh.
The wider consultation has deliberately been structured around four questions: what makes Leith, Leith; what is missing or needs more care; what should happen in 2028; and what people want Leith to be like afterwards.
The ideas and stories gathered at the Imaginarium will now feed into the development of Leith’s final UK Town of Culture bid and its plans for 2028. The bid is being developed by the Leith Culture Partnership with the backing of more than 80 local and national organisations and public figures.
A visitor to the Leith Town of Culture 2028 Imaginarium event on Sunday 25 October, puts her thoughts on the Leith Washing Line. Image credit: James Duncan
Susie Gray and Jenny Mungall, co-ordinators of Leith’s UK Town of Culture bid, said: “The Imaginarium was about giving people of all ages lots of different ways to tell us what matters to them about Leith. We wanted to hear the good things, the big ideas, the things people want to protect and the things they want to change.
“There was so much warmth and pride in the room, but also really thoughtful conversations about Leith’s heritage, how the town is changing and what its future should look like. We’ve now got a huge amount to take away and work through, and that will directly help us shape the plans for 2028 and Leith’s 900thanniversary.
“Our developing plans are very much centred on celebrating Leith’s rich cultures and heritage and the brilliant work that already happens here, and making sure that Leithers have a real say in what comes next.”
The Imaginarium follows other public conversations around Leith as the bid develops. The final bid is due to be submitted to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 30 November, with the winner expected to be announced by 31 March 2027.
Consultation on how Land Reform Act will empower people
Communities will have more opportunities to have their say in shaping how Scotland’s largest landholdings are managed under proposals now open for public consultation.
The Community Engagement Obligations and draft large land holdings guidance under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 consultation paper is the next step in ensuring communities have more information about large land holdings of more than 1,000 hectares.
It is seeking views on what information should be included in new Land Management Plans, required by the Act, and what landowners should do to involve the communities in the creation of these plans.
The consultation also gives consideration to introducing new processes for community groups to request to lease land or establish a croft, providing more opportunities for communities to use land for their benefit, and what enforcement should be available if these requirements are not met.
There is also an opportunity to comment on guidance that will help landowners understand if they own land that will be covered by these requirements.
Climate Action and Rural Affairs Secretary Gillian Martin said: “The Land Reform Act reflects our commitment to a fairer, more transparent and more inclusive system of land ownership and use.
“These proposals can ensure communities have better information about how large landholdings are managed and more opportunities to influence decisions that affect them and mark the next step in Scotland’s land reform journey.
“We saw strong engagement as our land reform legislation passed through Parliament, and I hope communities, landowners and others will bring that same enthusiasm to this public consultation on our plans.”
As the consultation will go over the festive period it will be open 14 weeks, rather than the usual 12 to allow as many people as possible to have their say.
Protecting the Past. Securing the Future. Sustaining Scotland’s Cultural Life.
Securing a future for the arts at Summerhall
Summerhall is far more than a building. It is a distinctive cultural and community asset in Edinburgh, a home for artists and audiences, and a place where creativity, innovation and collaboration thrive.
Its contribution to Edinburgh and Scotland’s cultural identity, creative economy and international reputation must be fully understood and recognised in any plans for its future.
Summerhall Arts wants to remain at Summerhall and will support a viable proposal that secures our future and enables us to continue delivering our year-round programme of arts and cultural activity.
Our ambition is to see Summerhall continue as a thriving cultural destination, protecting the building’s unique character while enabling its artistic contribution to grow. We recognise that any future proposal must be financially realistic and operationally sustainable.
For Summerhall Arts, viability also means having sufficient affordable, appropriate and usable space to continue supporting and nurturing the wider community, artists, presenting work and engaging audiences throughout the year.
Why Summerhall Arts matters
Supported by Creative Scotland multi-year funding, Summerhall Arts has established itself as a leading supporter of the arts in Scotland, both locally and nationally. Building on Summerhall’s legacy of diverse performance and exhibitions, Summerhall Arts has developed new and exciting professional artist development opportunities for emerging and established artists.
Our work extends beyond presenting performances and exhibitions. We provide opportunities for artists to develop their practice, support new creative work and contribute to a wider ecosystem of festivals, theatres and cultural organisations across Scotland and beyond.
The 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe showcased Summerhall Arts’ international significance, featuring work from 24 countries and a record-breaking number of award-winning shows and audience numbers. This reflects the importance of Summerhall as a cultural destination that connects Edinburgh with artists, audiences and creative communities from around the world.
The spaces within Summerhall are central to this work. Their individual character, facilities and flexibility enable a diverse programme of artistic activity that would be difficult to replicate elsewhere. Any plans for the future must fully recognise the relationship between the building, its spaces and the cultural activity they make possible.
What does a viable future look like?
We want to work constructively with AMA to help establish a viable, sustainable future for the arts at Summerhall.
For Summerhall Arts, this means securing enough affordable, appropriate and usable space to continue delivering our year-round programme successfully. It means ensuring that the practical needs of artists, performances, exhibitions and professional development are properly understood and reflected in future plans.
We believe there is an opportunity to develop a model that combines appropriate investment in the building with a sustainable programme of arts and cultural activity and community spaces. Achieving this requires a full understanding of the existing spaces, their cultural significance and their role in supporting the site’s activity.
Summerhall Arts is ready to contribute its experience and knowledge to this conversation. We want to be part of a constructive process that recognises the realities of developing a viable proposal while protecting the cultural purpose that makes Summerhall so important.
Repair, not demolish
We are concerned that the current plans appear to earmark some of Summerhall’s most distinctive spaces for demolition. These spaces are not simply parts of a building. They are integral to Summerhall’s identity, character and cultural offer. Their loss would have implications for the arts activity that takes place across the site and for the wider experience of artists, community and audiences.
We believe the potential for repair, renovation and continued cultural use deserves serious consideration as part of the search for a viable long-term solution.
Preserving Summerhall does not mean preventing change. It means recognising what makes the site special, understanding the value of its existing spaces and exploring how they can be maintained, adapted and used sustainably for the future.
Edinburgh’s reputation as the world’s festival city rests in part on distinctive cultural spaces such as Summerhall. Protecting these places helps sustain the city’s cultural identity and its ability to attract artists, audiences and visitors from across the world.
Have your say: help shape Summerhall’s future
The consultation is an important opportunity to ensure that the cultural significance of Summerhall and the needs of Summerhall Arts are properly understood by AMA as it develops its plans.
We encourage artists, audiences, cultural organisations, supporters and everyone who values Summerhall to participate. Please explain what the site means to you, why its spaces matter and why retaining an established thriving arts presence should be central to its future.
Your feedback can help demonstrate that Summerhall’s value extends far beyond the property itself. It is a cultural and community asset that supports artists, engages audiences and contributes to Scotland’s artistic life, locally, nationally and internationally.
We want to be able to count on your support not only during this consultation, but throughout the future stages of the process. A strong collective voice can help ensure that the search for viability fully considers the cultural activity the site supports and the space required to sustain it.
To view the current plans and submit your feedback, visit the consultation website:
We believe Summerhall can continue to be a place where artists create, audiences discover new work and Scotland’s cultural reputation flourishes.
With a shared commitment to finding a workable solution, there is an opportunity to protect the site’s distinctive character while securing its continued contribution to cultural and community life.
Sam Gough, CEO of Summerhall Arts, says: “Whilst our intention is to remain here and work with AMA to continue the provision of arts within Summerhall, the future space needs to be viable, and we are hopeful that the plans will provide that.
“We are encouraging all those who love Summerhall and its spaces to contribute to the consultation, to help the developers understand how important they are to what makes this already thriving arts centre what it is.
“At the moment, I have not seen anything that demonstrates this.
“So many of the beautiful, special parts of Summerhall, such as the historic Anatomy Lecture Theatre, the unique Dissection Room, Tech Cube 0 and the ever-so-wonderful Royal Dick pub, are earmarked for demolition.
Our message is ‘repair, not demolish’. Edinburgh’s name as the world’s festival city rests partly on places like Summerhall. Developers, like arts organisations, are remembered for what they leave behind, and I would much rather AMA be remembered as the owner who protected it.”
Summerhall is an asset to Edinburgh and to Scotland.
We want to work towards a future that protects its cultural and community spaces, sustains the arts, health and wellbeing and enables Summerhall Arts to continue its work for generations to come.
A public consultation is now underway on proposals to secure the future of Summerhall, Edinburgh’s landmark arts venue, as developer AMA sets out an emerging vision to secure the site’s future.
Residents, businesses, artists and community groups can review the proposals and provide feedback on plans for Summerhall from Tuesday 29 September until Friday 23 October.
sculpture at Summerhall
A public drop-in event will be held at Summerhall tomorrow – Wednesday 7th October, from 3pm to 7.30pm, where visitors can view the plans, meet the project team and ask questions.
Since the Royal Dick Veterinary College left in 2011, Summerhall has become a home for artists, performers, creative organisations and small businesses. The site now faces significant financial and physical challenges, and needs substantial investment to secure its long-term future.
Having entered into a contract to acquire Summerhall from Oesselmann Estate Limited in April 2025, Edinburgh-based AMA is developing a vision together with Kettle Collective architects for an Arts Quarter at Summerhall. The plans seek to retain the site’s cultural role while bringing new activity and investment to the wider complex.
The emerging proposals include retaining and sensitively adapting key heritage buildings, improving pedestrian access through the site and enhancing its public spaces. A wider mix of uses is also being explored to help support Summerhall’s long-term sustainability.
The proposals have been informed by pre-application discussions with the City of Edinburgh Council. Its advice recognises the potential for a mixed-use development that retains arts and community uses, and welcomes the proposed retention and use of the majority of the site’s listed buildings.
It also identifies improved accessibility and energy efficiency as potential benefits, while stressing the need for sensitive design within Summerhall’s heritage and conservation setting.
A January 2026 review by the Edinburgh Urban Design Panel also recognised the site’s complex history. Once home to a brewery and two churches, Summerhall became the Royal Dick Veterinary College in the early 20th century.
Later additions include modernist buildings constructed between 1967 and 1971, among them its distinctive tower. The site sits within the South Side Conservation Area, close to The Meadows.
Dr Ali Afshar, co-founder and managing director of AMA, said: “Summerhall is an important part of Edinburgh’s cultural life. We know how much it means to the people who work here, visit and live nearby. We also know that significant investment is needed to address the challenges facing its buildings and secure its future.
“Our vision for an Arts Quarter builds on what makes Summerhall special. Art and culture will remain at its heart, alongside sensitive work to its heritage buildings, better access through the site and a mix of uses that can support it for the long term.
“Summerhall’s character comes from the many different chapters of its history. We want to respect that history while making the site more welcoming and accessible. This consultation is a chance for people to tell us what matters to them, and their feedback will help inform the proposals before we submit a planning application at the start of 2027.
“We hope the existing management team will continue its stewardship and day-to-day running of the Arts Quarter and associated commercial spaces following redevelopment, within modernised buildings offering greater flexibility.”
The consultation is open until Friday 23 October. Plans can be viewed and feedback submitted at www.summerhallconsultation.co.uk.
A further public engagement event will be held in due course, with details announced ahead of time.
A huge majority of people surveyed in Scotland support proposals to make shops keep all vaping products and nicotine pouches out of sight, according to an opinion poll commissioned by ASH Scotland gathering views about the UK Government’s current consultation aimed at reducing children’s visibility of nicotine products.
86% of 1,061 survey respondents favour measures preventing all vaping products and other nicotine products like heated tobacco and nicotine pouches from being seen in shops, in the same way that cigarettes are already hidden, a finding welcomed by ASH Scotland and the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS).
Retail displays of brightly coloured and branded packaging are enticing young people to use addictive, health-harming recreational nicotine products, including vapes.
The display ban for tobacco proved highly effective in reducing youth exposure to cigarettes and sets an exemplar for removing vapes and nicotine pouches from window displays and point-of-sale promotions, where they are often displayed alongside confectionery.
The Scottish Government committed to progressing proposals for a Vape Display Ban in its recently announced Programme for Government.
ASH Scotland and the SCOTSS are urging government to move quickly to implement display bans for nicotine and vaping products in Scotland that align with the current approach for cigarettes.
Both organisations contend that the same rules for retailers across all tobacco and related products would assist trading standards teams in enforcing regulations consistently and reduce gaps that could be exploited by the tobacco and nicotine industry.
Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive of ASH Scotland, said: “With 86% of adults polled in Scotland supporting measures to keep addictive health harming vapes and nicotine pouches hidden like tobacco in shops, we want the government to make rapid progress in implementing this proposal, which is both effective and vital, to prevent the tobacco and nicotine industry from continuing to generate massive profits at a cost to the health of young people now and future generations.”
Chris Bell, SCOTSS Chair, said “Vaping displays can be colourful, visually prominent and eye-catching, increasing the visibility and appeal of nicotine products to children, young people and non-smokers.
“SCOTSS considers restricting the prominent retail display of vapes to be an important starting point to reduce visibility and limit opportunities for these products to be promoted.”
ASH Scotland encourages the public to read the charity’s views on the proposed measures in the UK Government’s ‘Tobacco and vapes: packaging, appearance and display’ survey and respond to the consultation before the 23:59 on 2 October 2026 deadline by visiting our webpage here.
