The staggering amount of waste generated at Christmas can be finally revealed, with a total of 302,913 tonnes of waste being dumped this week alone across the UK, as bins are filled to the brim.
“Even with a slightly toned-down Christmas this year, we all know how full the bins get after Christmas – it’s now clear the huge environmental impact all this waste has.
“The numbers are simply astonishing – 2,000 tonnes of uneaten cheese chucked out for example”, explains Charlotte Green from recycling firm TradeWaste.co.uk
The online survey carried out by TradeWaste.co.uk asked 4,500 people about the contents of their Christmas bins – the results are remarkable, with food waste and food packaging creating the most waste this year.
“People seem to have taken to eating well this year, with lockdowns and all the doom and gloom – it seems comfort eating has become a national institution, however nearly 5,000 tonnes of half-eaten mince pies where thrown out – seems a terrible shame to me!”, adds Green.
Christmas food lovers (and haters) chucked out this year:
141,525 tonnes of food packaging
50,544 tonnes of leftover Christmas dinners
24,600 tonnes of glass drink bottles
7,500 tonnes of drink cans
4,800 tonnes of leftover mince pies
2,000 tonnes of cheese
It is not only leftover food waste which is filling the nations bins – wrapping paper, cards, decorations. Of course Christmas trees are all being thrown out this week – all 12,000 tonnes of them.
Luckily much of the waste created at Christmas can be recycled with trees being shredded into chippings, cards being munched for paper and some wrapping paper can be recycled too.
The interesting one is Christmas lights – these should not be put in a general waste bin, instead they need to be taken to a local authority waste site and put in the small electricals skip where they can be processed.
Seasonal goods we are chucking out this week include:
30,000 tonnes of Christmas cards
17,444 tonnes of Christmas wrapping paper
12,500 tonnes of Christmas decorations
12,000 tonnes of Christmas trees
68,488 miles of broken Christmas lights
“It’s really difficult to reduce waste at Christmas, but we can all do our bit. It’s really important to split up all the waste you have and put it in the correct bin – some need to be processed differently – like broken Christmas lights.
“I just want to know who is chucking out all the mince pies, seems such a travesty!” concluded TradeWaste.co.uk‘s Charlotte Green.
SECRET Santa – a stalwart of the festive workplace – is sadly something else that we’ve had to put aside in these changed times.How will we cope without receiving a plastic doo-dah from (maybe) Barry in Sales or something that looks a bit rude from (maybe) Margaret in Purchasing?
Well, worry no more – The Leith Collective is helping to maintain the mystery and enigma that is Secret Santa AND ensuring it’s plastic free and one-of-a-kind at the same time as managing the whole process (on Santa’s behalf)!
Continuing with its mission to rid the world (starting with Edinburgh) of single-use plastic, The Leith Collective works with over 150 local artists, crafters and makers to deliver the most stunning pieces – all recycled, upcycled or created plastic-free.
Simply choose how much you want to spend on your Secret Santa gift, provide a bit more info about the recipient and Catherine, gift curator at The Leith Collective and officially approved by Santa himself, will select the perfect Secret Santa gift for your friend and /or colleague. Once we’ve chosen, wrapped and stored the gift, we’ll send an email to the recipient to tell them to come and collect their pressie!
The air of mystery is maintained, and no plastic cheapness needs to be wrapped up for George in Packing!
· 55% say economy currently takes priority over the environment
· Scotland ranked first in the UK when considering the environment since pandemic began
A whopping 95% of Scottish consumers say that since the Covid-19 outbreak, it is more important than ever to take care of our planet and the environment, a European-wide study by drink can recycling initiative, Every Can Counts, has found.
The stats show that Scots are leading the way in the UK for feeling the importance of recycling in current times.
The majority (94%) of survey respondents in Scotland said it is an urgent task to tackle recycling, while 96% said that considering recycling and its importance for the planet is an obligation of all citizens and consumers, not just world leaders. Despite this however, the survey also discovered that in these uncertain economic times, 55% of Scottish consumers say that the economy is currently a priority over the environment.
In the wake of Sir David Attenborough’s latest film, A Life On Our Planet, as well as his joining Instagram at 94 and achieving one million followers in record-breaking time, it seems environmental issues are finally coming to the fore.
Within the film’s poignant and hard-hitting introduction, Attenborough says, “The natural world is fading. This film is my witness statement and my vision for the future. The story of how we came to make this, our greatest mistake, and how, if we act now, we can yet put it right.”
It seems this seed has been well and truly planted in the minds of Scots with 73% stating that, during the pandemic, they have recycled more than ever, suggesting that the increase in time spent at home has made it easier for people to do their bit and recycle more. Only 48% however, said they often or always recycle when at work and less when out and about at 45%.
Commenting on the figures, Rick Hindley, Director of Every Can Counts says, “The figures imply that given the time and correct resources, we’re all more than capable of recycling everything we can.
“It’s when we’re out and about or at work that it becomes more difficult. The findings from the survey also suggest that Covid-19 has prompted us to consider our own fragility as human beings and look at the way we treat the planet, our home.
“The Covid-19 outbreak has of course brought about devastating effects. However, as we can see from these survey results, one positive is that people are beginning to sit and up and take notice of the vital environmental issues we are facing. We do not have forever to rectify the damage that has been done to our planet. The time is now.
“Recycling – and especially recycling drink cans given that aluminium is infinitely recyclable – is something we can all do to help the planet. Over the past five years, the UK recycling rate for drink cans has increased by 16% to an impressive 76%. Our vision is to get that to 100%.”
Scottish respondents echoed this call to action with a massive 92% saying they would like to do more when it comes to recycling and 84% feeling that more needs to be done in general to encourage recycling amongst consumers.
Of the 12 UK regions surveyed as part of the wider European study, Greater London, Yorkshire & Humberside, the South West and South East came up top when quantifying the importance of recycling with scores of 80% plus, closely followed by Scotland and the West Midlands with scores of 79%.
It appears that the challenges of Covid-19 have further inspired Scots to care for the environment. 95% of Scots agreed that Covid-19 has made taking care of the planet and recycling more important than ever, the highest level of agreement recorded across all 12 UK regions, shared with the East of England.
Below: UK regions ranked in order of agreeing with the following statement: After Covid-19 it is more important than ever to take care of our planet / environment and recycle.
The UK is binning an incredible 53,000,000 disposable face masks every single day, with reports that many face masks are ending up being carelessly discarded in the street ending up in streams and rivers.
“If you walk around any street now you will see disposable face masks being blown around with leaves in the gutter – they are the new cigarette butt – people are simply chucking them after use.
“We know that 53 million are being sent to landfill each day – but just how many end-up elsewhere is the very scary part”, says Charlotte Green from waste company TradeWaste.co.uk
Now that face mask wearing has become a standard part of lockdown life, their disposal is being highlighted as a major new environmental crisis, with masks being found in streams, rivers, and oceans – like the modern-day plastic bottle.
Disposable face masks are typically made from plastic in 3 layers:
Non-woven plastic fabric outer
Melt-blown polymer filter such as polypropylene
Non-woven plastic fabric inner
Other – cotton ear loops and metal nose piece
The other issue with a disposable mask are the ear loops and metal piece used to grip the nose – often thrown with these in-tact they can become entangled around animals and wildlife, especially so when they end up in water courses.
A survey of 4,500 members of the UK public by TradeWaste.co.uk found that the numbers of masks being discarded daily are truly staggering:
58.8 million face masks are being used daily in the UK currently (November)
10% are reused, 90% are discarded
53.3 million face masks are sent to landfill each day
Globally we are use 129 billion face masks per month
The main problem is that they are specifically designed to be chucked away after each use. In a medical setting this is controlled, but out in our towns and cities this is not controlled, and generally masks are thrown in residential and street waste bins for landfill.
“We as a country need better disposal methods to cope with the huge numbers of disposable masks being thrown away – most cannot be recycled. If restrictions and mask use continue then this issue is going to get progressively worse – action needs to be taken today”, concludes TradeWaste.co.uk‘s Charlotte Green.
Carbon impact of waste down 1.1 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent from 2011
Less than 1 million tonnes of household waste sent to landfill for the first time
Plastic and glass recycling increase, paper and cardboard continues downward trend
Total household recycling rate 44.9%
Scottish households generated the equivalent of 0.44 tonnes of waste per person in 2019
Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) statisticians have published Official Statistics today (27 October 2020) which provide detail of Household Waste collected across all Local Authorities during 2019.
Scottish households generated the equivalent of 0.44 tonnes of waste per person in 2019, with 0.20 tonnes recycled, 0.14 tonnes sent to landfill and 0.11 tonnes diverted through other means such as incineration, composing and anaerobic digestion.
The total volume of household waste generated in Scotland remained largely the same as 2018, up 17,000 tonnes (an increase of 1%) from 2.41 million tonnes in 2018 to 2.42 million.
CARBON IMPACT OF SCOTTISH HOUSEHOLD WASTE CONTINUES TO DECREASE
The Scottish carbon metric measures the whole-life impact of resources. A measure of national performance, the metric takes a holistic view, from resource extraction and manufacturing emissions, through to resource management emissions.
Measuring the true impact of waste and waste management is most accurate when viewed in terms of emissions. This is measured in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). This provides a more accurate picture than merely looking at tonnage (glass weights a lot more than paper), and takes into account the emissions created when waste is disposed of, whether through recycling, incineration, composting, anaerobic digestion or being sent to landfill.
The 2019 metric shows a continued downward trajectory since 2011 in Scotland’s household waste carbon impact. This is largely due to increased recycling rates – particularly for high impact waste materials – as well as reductions in waste generated and reduced landfilling of biodegradable waste.
The carbon impact of household waste generated and managed in 2018 was 5.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) – which is 1.0 tonnes per person. This was a decrease of 94,000 TCO2e from 2018 and a decrease of 1.1 million from 2011.
LESS THAN 1 MILLION TONNES OF HOUSEHOLD WASTE SENT TO LANDFILL FOR THE FIRST TIME
2019 saw a further decrease of household waste sent to landfill – falling below 1 million tonnes for the first time – down 26% or 273,000 tonnes from 2018. This is the eighth consecutive decrease in household waste landfilled since 2011 – and for the third consecutive year there was more Scottish waste recycled (1.1 million tonnes) than landfilled (0.76 tonnes). Waste recycled included reuse and composting.
The total amount of Scottish household waste managed by other diversion from landfill was 577,000 tonnes, an increase of 93% from 2018 – 369% from 2011. Most was managed by incineration (78%, 454,000 tonnes), followed by other treatment (16%, 91,000 tonnes) and non-certified composting/digestion (6%, 32,000 tonnes)
PLASTIC, GLASS, PAPER AND CARDBOARD
Plastic recycling rose by 1,000 tonnes (1%) to 57,379 tonnes in 2019, continuing the trend of increasing each year for the last eight years. Glass remains the second most recycled material, with 107,000 tonnes, similar to 2018.
Paper and cardboard as a whole remains the largest volume of material recycled at 192,562 tonnes. However, there has been a general downward trend of paper and cardboard wastes recycled –in 2018 was down 17,000 tonnes (8%) – a 48,000 tonne (20%) reduction since 2011.
Within this mix, segregated paper waste is in continual decline – while cardboard and mixed paper and cardboard wastes have remained constant or increased over time. This may be partly due to replacement of segregated paper collections with mixed paper and cardboard collections.
It is also likely that a move away from print media to electronic media has decreased paper waste, while cardboard wastes have not decreased on the same scale, which could be a result of increased packaging materials as consumer habits move online.
Further details on the methodology used to produce the figures are provided in the “Household waste” section of the annual Waste Data Quality Reports.
The figures are accurate at the time of publication, however data may be updated if further revisions are necessary. Normally these revisions will be published concurrent with the next official release.
Jo Zwitserlood, Head of Materials at the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), said: “Recycling is a real Scottish success story and is a simple daily step we all can take to build a more sustainable Scotland.
“Reducing the amount of waste we generate, and keeping products and materials in use for as long as possible through re-use and recycling, will help Scotland tackle the climate emergency. This is reflected in the household waste data published today, that shows the reducing carbon impact of our waste.
“The most successful countries in the 21st century will move from a traditional ‘take, make and dispose’ model to a resource efficient, circular economy where materials that would have been waste, are now valued as a useful resource. It is therefore extremely encouraging to see a continued increase in the amount of household waste recycled, and the amount of waste going to landfill at its lowest since records began.
“With its globally ambitious circular economy strategy and investment in infrastructure that will extract maximum value from materials through remanufacturing and recycling, Scotland is well placed to realise the environmental and economic opportunities for our nation and its people.”
A whopping 95% of Scottish consumers say that since the Covid-19 outbreak, it is more important than ever to take care of our planet and the environment, a European-wide study by drink can recycling initiative, Every Can Counts, has found.
The stats show that Scots are leading the way in the UK for feeling the importance of recycling in current times.
The majority (94%) of survey respondents in Scotland said it is an urgent task to tackle recycling, while 96% said that considering recycling and its importance for the planet is an obligation of all citizens and consumers, not just world leaders.
Despite this however, the survey also discovered that in these uncertain economic times, 55% of Scottish consumers say that the economy is currently a priority over the environment.
In the wake of Sir David Attenborough’s latest film, A Life On Our Planet, as well as his joining Instagram at 94 and achieving one million followers in record-breaking time, it seems environmental issues are finally coming to the fore.
Within the film’s poignant and hard-hitting introduction, Attenborough says, “The natural world is fading. This film is my witness statement and my vision for the future. The story of how we came to make this, our greatest mistake, and how, if we act now, we can yet put it right.”
It seems this seed has been well and truly planted in the minds of Scots with 73% stating that, during the pandemic, they have recycled more than ever, suggesting that the increase in time spent at home has made it easier for people to do their bit and recycle more. Only 48% however, said they often or always recycle when at work and less when out and about at 45%.
Commenting on the figures, Rick Hindley, Director of Every Can Counts says: “The figures imply that given the time and correct resources, we’re all more than capable of recycling everything we can.
“It’s when we’re out and about or at work that it becomes more difficult. The findings from the survey also suggest that Covid-19 has prompted us to consider our own fragility as human beings and look at the way we treat the planet, our home.
“The Covid-19 outbreak has of course brought about devastating effects. However, as we can see from these survey results, one positive is that people are beginning to sit and up and take notice of the vital environmental issues we are facing. We do not have forever to rectify the damage that has been done to our planet. The time is now.
“Recycling – and especially recycling drink cans given that aluminium is infinitely recyclable – is something we can all do to help the planet. Over the past five years, the UK recycling rate for drink cans has increased by 16% to an impressive 76%. Our vision is to get that to 100%.”
Scottish respondents echoed this call to action with a massive 92% saying they would like to do more when it comes to recycling and 84% feeling that more needs to be done in general to encourage recycling amongst consumers.
Of the 12 UK regions surveyed as part of the wider European study, Greater London, Yorkshire & Humberside, the South West and South East came up top when quantifying the importance of recycling with scores of 80% plus, closely followed by Scotland and the West Midlands with scores of 79%.
It appears that the challenges of Covid-19 have further inspired Scots to care for the environment. 95% of Scots agreed that Covid-19 has made taking care of the planet and recycling more important than ever, the highest level of agreement recorded across all 12 UK regions, shared with the East of England.
Below: UK regions ranked in order of agreeing with the following statement: After Covid-19 it is more important than ever to take care of our planet / environment and recycle.
1. Scotland 95%
2. East of England 95%
3. North West 93%
4. Northern Ireland 93%
5. Greater London 91%
6. North East 91%
7. Yorkshire & Humberside 91%
8. East Midlands 90%
9. West Midlands 89%
10. South West 89%
11. Wales 86%
12. South East 84%
To see an Every Can Counts brand video, visit: YouTube.
Two-thirds of branded grocery packaging not fully recyclable
Crisps, chocolate and cheese are among the worst foods for packaging recyclability, with brands including Pringles, Cadbury and Babybel failing to do their bit for the environment, a new Which? investigation has revealed.
The consumer champion analysed 89 of the UK’s best-selling branded groceries and found only a third (34%) had packaging that was fully recyclable in household collections. To make matters worse, around four in 10 (41%) items had no labelling to show if they could be recycled, leaving consumers none the wiser about how to dispose of them.
Which? looked at 10 different categories of items including popular brands of chocolate, fizzy drinks, crisps, yoghurts, drinks, cheese, bread loaves and cereals. Which? experts broke down each item’s packaging into its component parts, weighed them and assessed whether each piece could be easily recycled.
The recyclability of different types of groceries varied hugely. The worst category by some distance was crisps, with only three per cent of packaging recyclable in household collections. This included Pringles and their notoriously hard to recycle combined material tube.
The tube’s plastic lid made it the only product in the category to have at least one component that was recyclable in household recycling. However it wasn’t labelled to say so and the tube design is far heavier than any other packaging in this category – so it would take more energy to transport.
The best of a bad lot in this category was a Quavers multipack. None of the individual packets of crisps were easily recyclable, but the outer bag, at least, was recyclable at supermarket collection points. However it wasn’t labelled to say so, meaning consumers could mistakenly throw it out with everyday rubbish.
While significantly better than bagged snacks, when Which? took apart and analysed cheese packaging it found that a third (34%) was not easily recyclable. Snack packs of Cathedral City and Babybel were packaged in plastic net bags, which are not only difficult to recycle but can also cause problems if they get caught up in the recycling machines accidentally.
Cheestrings were also found to be problematic, with packaging that was not recyclable in household collections.
At the other end of the spectrum, packaging for Dairylea Cheese Triangles, Seriously Spreadable Cheese and Laughing Cow triangles was all recyclable – but all had this important information missing from their labels at the time of testing. Philadelphia Soft White Cheese’s packaging is recyclable and was correctly labelled.
Among the chocolate snacks Which? looked at, almost a third of packaging was not recyclable. Favourites like four finger KitKats, Cadbury Bitsa Wispa, M&Ms, Cadbury Dairy Milk bars and Cadbury Twirl Bites were all found to not be recyclable in household recycling at all.
The Galaxy Smooth bar had 100 per cent recyclable packaging, but due to a lack of labelling risked being thrown out in the same way as its less eco-friendly counterparts.
None of the bread packaging Which? looked at was recyclable in household collections. But it was recyclable if taken to supermarket collection points alongside plastic bags. All of it was labelled.
The most recyclable category was fizzy drinks, which were found to be 100 per cent recyclable. All 10 items Which? looked at in this category were correctly labelled.
Juice drinks were mainly recyclable in household collections, with the exception of Ocean Spray and Capri-Sun. Ocean Spray cartons are like Pringles tubes in that they are made of mixed materials that make them difficult to recycle in household collections, while Capri-Sun’s foil pouches are not recyclable.
In a separate survey, Which? found that the recyclability of grocery packaging is important to eight in 10 respondents (79%), and two thirds (67%) often or always look for recycling info on grocery packaging before deciding how to dispose of it.
Some brands are trialling more environmentally sound options. Pringles is testing a new recycled paper tube at several UK Tesco stores, which if successful could be pushed out more widely.
In response to Which?’s findings, some manufacturers said that food waste had a larger carbon footprint than plastic waste and claimed that moving away from traditional packaging to recyclable alternatives could lead to compromised, stale or damaged food. Some also said that their packaging was recyclable at TerraCycle collection points.
But Which? believes that a lack of consistency and hugely varied approaches to grocery packaging shows that some manufacturers could be doing a lot more to ensure the materials used to package their products do not end up in landfill.
The responsible use of the right materials to package food is just one part of the problem. In order to tackle unnecessary waste, products also need to be correctly labelled with clear instructions of how packaging should be disposed of.
The recurring inconsistencies Which? has found on the way groceries are labelled when it comes to recyclability shows how confusing it is to navigate for even for the most environmentally conscious consumers.
Which? is calling on the government to make recycling labelling simple, clear and mandatory, so that all consumers are able to make informed decisions when buying groceries.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and Services, said:“Consumers are crying out for brands that take sustainability seriously and products that are easy to recycle, but for any real difference to be made to the environment, manufacturers need to maximise their use of recyclable and recycled materials and ensure products are correctly labelled.
“To reduce the waste that goes to landfill, the government must make labelling mandatory, simple and clear, enabling shoppers to know exactly how to dispose of the packaging on the products they consume.”
As demand for sustainable shopping alternatives increases, The Leith Collective prepares to come back even bigger than before:
Lockdown restrictions may be easing, but one person hoping the temporary pause in human activity over the past few months may prove to have a long-lasting, positive effect on consumer behaviour is Sara Thomson, founder of The Leith Collective.
The Leith Collective comprises more than 90 artists and makers from all over Scotland, brought together by a common aim to reuse, recycle, reclaim, and resell items that may otherwise have been destined for landfill.
Sustainability is at the heart of all they do, and their approach is proving popular with consumers whose eyes have been opened to the issue during the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, The Leith Collective has moved to bigger premises in Edinburgh’s Ocean Terminal to accommodate this increase in demand.
Commenting on the link between the coronavirus pandemic and the increase in awareness of sustainability, Sara Thomson explained: ‘I think there are a number of factors at play. Firstly, with shops and attractions closed, more people have explored their local countryside, and thanks to the reduction in traffic, wildlife has flourished and birdsong heard more clearly. All this has helped many people connect with nature as never before.
‘Secondly, with many people on furlough enjoying more time on their hands, we’ve seen a marked increase in hobbies such as gardening which naturally opens one’s eyes to sustainability.
‘Thirdly, the closing of the rubbish dumps may have presented some people with a stark realisation of just how much we throw away without thought. I believe it has no doubt spurred some people on to consider how many household items could potentially be repurposed.’
The Leith Collective is anticipating an increase in the number of customers wanting to embrace a more sustainable way of shopping and living as they prepare to open the doors to their larger premises today (Monday 13th July).
The all-new Leith Collective store features an outdoor area, with increased space to shop whilst safely socially distancing. The new shop location is just the latest way The Leith Collective has successfully pivoted in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
When Lockdown restrictions were first announced, The Leith Collective launched an online shop and offered local delivery throughout the Scottish capital. They then turned their attention to making a range of reusable masks, created using recycled material – designed to offer a sustainable alternative to disposable masks, with the added bonus that it would help keep their resident makers in business.
The success of this initiative has been tremendous – not only has it provided a genuine lifeline to many makers not eligible for government assistance, The Leith Collective was also able to donate hundreds of pounds worth of masks to children in care and care leavers, and give proceeds to the mental health charity, North East Edinburgh Counselling Service.
The all-new Leith Collective opens today (Monday 13th July) at RU65, Ocean Terminal, Ocean Drive, Edinburgh, EH6 6JJ. Opening hours are Monday – Saturday 11am – 6pm, and Sunday 11am – 5pm.
Edinburgh’s Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs) will reopen from Monday (1 June), with changes in place to ensure the safety of staff and the public. To minimise crowding and help staff and customers to maintain physical distancing, centres will reopen on an appointment-only basis.
HWRCs are expected to be extremely busy at the beginning so we’re encouraging the public only to visit if necessary and if waste can’t be stored safely at home.
Time slots can be booked online from this afternoon (Thursday, 28 May) though will be limited to one per household for the first two weeks of reopening.
Anyone without an appointment will not be permitted to enter recycling centres. Full details of restrictions at each of the city’s three sites will be available online.
Special uplifts will also resume on Monday, 1 June, and the council will be accepting online bookings for the collection of bulky items from today (Thursday, 28 May), with a maximum of five items per household.
Both services were suspended in March due to staff shortages and physical distancing guidance, as well as Scottish Government advice against non-essential journeys.
However, in light of changes to guidance from the Scottish Government, HWRCs at Seafield, Sighthill and Craigmillar will reopen. With enough crew members now in place the council is now able to resume special uplifts too.
Council Leader Adam McVey said: “We’ve been working extremely hard to deliver services as close to normally as possible and, as of Monday, HWRCs will be reopening, on an appointment-only basis.
“However, it’s likely recycling centres will be extremely busy at the beginning, so please only visit if you are unable to continue storing your waste safely at home and ensure you book an arrival slot if you are coming.
“It’s essential that we look after the health of all those who work in and visit our HWRCs, and there will be changes to the way they operate for the foreseeable future to allow us to do this.
“I’m grateful to residents for their patience as we have adjusted to this unprecedented situation, and I’d like to thank them for holding on to any bulky items, and those who continue to do so during the initial busy period.”
Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “I’m pleased that, following Scottish Government guidance and as changes to allow crews to maintain physical distancing have bedded in, we’ve been able to reintroduce these services while ensuring the safety of our staff.
“It’s thanks to the efforts of our waste team that we have been able to resume this service, albeit on a reduced basis, and I hope that residents join me in recognising the commitment they’ve made to keeping the city moving during this difficult time.
“Please help us to protect workers’ safety, and your own, by following our guidance and only visiting HWRCs if it is absolutely necessary.”
A dedicated online booking system for HWRCs will be available on the Council website from this afternoon – it won’t be possible to book visits over the phone as the contact centre continues to focus on emergency calls.
During the initial period only cars will be permitted on-site, no vans or trailers, and staff will not be able to help unload vehicles so please only bring what you can carry.
Queueing is expected at each HWRC upon reopening and there will be traffic management in place, including at Seafield, where we will be temporarily reverting to the old entrance on Fillyside Road for the first three weeks.
The special uplift service is expected to be busy during the first weeks, so there may be a wait for collections – check the council website for updates.
Residents can book an uplift on the Council website – though not currently over the phone while phone lines are kept free so contact centre staff can deal with emergency calls. Special uplifts are charged at £5 per item and details of what we can and can’t collect are available online.
Garden waste collections were reintroduced from 12 May after they were suspended in April, and glass recycling collections, which were suspended in March, recommenced from 28 April.
The Scottish Parliament has voted to approve regulations which will establish Scotland’s Deposit Scheme to boost recycling of single-use drinks containers.
The scheme will see people pay a 20p deposit on metal cans and PET plastic and glass bottles, refunded when they’re returned for recycling.
The final regulations, which were laid in the Scottish Parliament in March, maintain the ambitious approach to materials, with glass included alongside PET plastic and aluminium and steel.
Following consultation with island communities, feedback from the Scottish Parliament’s Environment Committee and stakeholder input, the Scottish Government made changes to the regulations.
These include a commitment to review the performance of the scheme by October 2026, including the deposit level, materials and the collection targets.
Zero Waste Scotland has been advising the Scottish Government on the design of the scheme, which builds on evidence from successful international schemes and the response to the Scottish Government’s public consultation.
Zero Waste Scotland’s Chief Operating Officer, Jill Farrell, says the scheme will be a “game-changer” for recycling and the circular economy in Scotland.
“By giving people an extra incentive to do something good for our environment, and having a consistent approach across Scotland, it will be easier for all of us to do the right thing”, she said. “This will improve the volume and quality of recycling and help tackle litter in the process.
“With a huge network of places to return your bottles and cans, it will be just as easy to return a drink as it is to buy one in the first place. I’m proud of Zero Waste Scotland’s role in advising the Scottish Government on this design, which has resulted in a blueprint for a world-class scheme.”
The Scottish Government has also published the Stage 1 Full Business Case for the scheme. This document, which provides the overarching framework for the preferred scheme design and commercial approach, can be access on the Scottish Government website.
Now that the scheme has passed into law, details on how to apply to become a scheme administrator(s) that will run Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme will be available shortly.
Until the deposit return scheme is up and running, as Scotland continues to tackle coronavirus, consumers should follow the latest government and local authority advice on dealing with recycling and waste items.
You can find help and guidance on managingourwaste.scot which includes our simple and practical advice on how to manage your waste effectively to help ease the pressure on our essential services.
You can also find lots of useful recycling and waste reduction hints and tips on the new How To Waste Less website.
