Zero Waste Scotland highlights level of recyclable waste in residual bins
A recent study by Zero Waste Scotland has revealed approximately half a million tonnes of recyclable materials end up in general waste bins across Scotland each year.
Released yesterday (17 October) the body’s waste composition analysis showed that 52% of the contents of general waste bins could have been recycled.
This translates to an average of 219 kilograms of potentially recyclable waste per household every year. Food waste emerges as the primary culprit, accounting for over 30% of this waste that ends up needlessly in disposal.
Moreover, the analysis highlights other commonly discarded items in general waste, including plastic drinks bottles, tubs, and trays, paper and card, as well as aluminium cans – everyday items that can easily be recycled instead.
These statistics were derived from an examination of kerbside waste collections conducted by 15 councils between 2021 and 2023, which were then used to calculate national estimates.
Chief executive of Zero Waste Scotland, Iain Gulland, said: “With more than half of the material found in general waste bins being recyclable, this report shows it’s more important than ever for people to check what goes where before disposing of their waste.”
The statistics were published on the same day as SEPA revealed that Scotland’s household recycling rate rose by 0.3% to 43.3% (see letsrecycle.com story).
Shadow minister visits Dorset Eco Park
The shadow minister for energy security, Dr. Alan Whitehead, visited Eco Sustainable Solutions’ Eco Park in Dorset on 3 October to learn more about the wood industry.
At the Eco Park, Eco processes 65,000 tonnes of waste wood annually into BioFuel. This BioFuel is then utilised to fuel their in-house Biomass Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant, supplying renewable heat and electricity to the facility.
During the tour Dr Whitehead met with the WRA to learn about the role that waste wood plays in delivering renewable biomass power.
Additionally, Eco manages several other organic waste streams at the 32-acre site, encompassing green waste and street sweepings.
Dr Whitehead said: “Delivering a clean power system by 2030 will be a core mission of the new Labour government if we are privileged enough to win the election.
“This will mean lower bills, energy security, and jobs and investment across the country. I was delighted to visit another sustainable local business and to hear more about the role that waste wood could play in generating renewable energy.”
Aberdeenshire council progresses with recycling rollout
Aberdeenshire council has reached the midway point in its recycling initiative, encouraging households to separate paper, card, and cardboard at the source to enhance the quality of recycled materials.
As part of the Aberdeenshire-wide rollout, over 60,000 orange-lid bins have been distributed to households and trade customers in areas like Kincardine & Mearns, Marr, and Garioch, with three depots still to implement the new system.
The orange-lid bins are designed for metal tins, cans, aerosols, foil, food and drink cartons, plastic bottles, pots, tubs, and trays, maintaining an average contamination rate of 16.94% since its launch.
Chair of the council’s infrastructure services committee, councillor Alan Turner said: “The rollout is a massive undertaking and one of the largest changes to kerbside collections in recent history. It is great to see that, this far, it is successful in terms of improving the quality of recycling and potentially increasing participation in food recycling.”
Coca-Cola opens Sidcup canning line
Coca-Cola Europacific partners (CCEP) celebrated the official opening of its £28m canning line in Sidcup.
The opening was attended by Louie French, MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup, who met CCEP’s general manager Stephen Moorhouse and VP for customer service and supply chain, Javier Gandarias Sanchez, as well as the site’s operations director, Karl Probert and colleagues on the factory floor.
The Sidcup site, which commemorated its 60th anniversary in 2021, now boasts a new canning line capable of producing 2,000 cans per minute.
Karl Probert, operations director at Coca-Cola Europacific partners Sidcup, said: “Our dedicated workforce of almost 400 play such an important role in continually evolving our manufacturing operations. We’re proud to officially open our new high speed canning line today. It uses the latest manufacturing innovations to produce many of our brands that consumers know and love, from right here in Sidcup.”
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