Heavy Wine Bottles get Hammered

As reported on the Waste Aware Business news page earlier today a high profile wine critic has decided to ignore the heaviest glass bottles when it comes to recommending to readers what wine to drink.

How Heavy is too Heavy?

Even the most delectable amrita will be cast aside if it arrives in what Tim Atkin deems to be excessive packaging. It’s a bold move and one which highlights the efforts being made by those with influence towards more environmentally friendly options. Tim lays a lot of the blame with Spain, Italy and Argentina who seem to have some kind of machismo desire to produce weighty bottles to match their beefier wines.

Without seeing a clear carbon footprint analysis of the wine bottles concerned it is impossible to accurately gauge how much importance we should place on choosing lighter bottles. But we don’t need to get the calculators out to know, via the wonderful medium of common sense, that reducing glass packaging weight will lead to a number of benefits:

1. less fuel to transport the wine to its final destination.
2. fewer raw materials required to produce the bottles therefore less resources required to obtain those materials.
3. less fuel to transport the raw materials that make up glass to the wine bottle manufacturers
4. less fuel to transport the wines to our homes
5. less glass waste overall in UK
6. lower weights of waste in recycling trucks – less fuel and increased capacity

So, although the finer intricacies of the overall benefit to the environment (such as the origin of the glass and whether we will recycle lightweight glass as much) are still to be ironed out, it still seems sensible to support Tim’s stance on this.

Research by WRAP (pdf), as part of their Glassrite project, suggests that there are a number of factors to consider when making bottles lighter but concludes that

Modern manufacturing methods allow glass manufacturers to produce wine bottles that are significantly lighter than was previously possible, without compromising safety.

It’s now up to the manufacturers to prove that they have the bottle to address this issue properly.

Wheels on Fire

As those of you old enough to remember formica kitchen tables will know, Bob Dylan has written a lot of songs.

Fashion is temporary - style is forever

One of them (Wheels on Fire) tells the story of a burning wheel in imminent danger of exploding! As the first verse tells us:

If your mem’ry serves you well
We were goin’ to meet again and wait
So I’m goin’ to unpack all my things
And sit before it gets too late
No man alive will come to you
With another tale to tell
And you know that we shall meet again
If your mem’ry serves you well
This wheel’s on fire
Rolling down the road
Best notify my next of kin
This wheel shall explode !

Now, there’s a very small chance the song is complete nonsense a metaphor for unrequited love and teenage angst but I prefer to think that, on this occasion, Dylan was penning seasonal waste advice. It’s almost as if he had the foresight to realise the potential dangers associated with placing inappropriate materials on bonfires and chose to highlight tyres as a chief culprit. Clever guy.

It reminds us all that, as we start to plan our suitably impressive piles in the approach to Bonfire Night, we need to ensure they are secure and made mainly from natural, sustainable wood sources. Our environmental friends at SEPA have joined Dylan in the warning.

Marshmallows anyone?

Carol McGinnes, SEPA’s Environmental Partnership Manager:

“While bonfires are an important part of celebrations, and a good way to keep warm, piles of wood prepared in advance can become a dumping ground for people wishing to dispose of unsuitable rubbish illegally. We’re already seeing piles of wood for bonfires starting to appear, and there is a concern that rubbish which should not be burnt will end up in the piles as well.

“Bonfires should not be used as a way to dispose of unsuitable wastes, whether household, industrial or commercial. Many items of waste can release fumes into the air, which are not only damaging to the environment, but can also affect the crowd around the fire.”

Some items have been identified as especially dangerous:

• aerosol cans
• paints tins
• empty containers that may have contained flammable chemicals
• old tyres (told you)
• rubber
• furniture (older items may contain polyurethane foam)
• carpets and synthetic floor coverings

As highlighted in a recent news story on our main website, anyone looking for more advice on how to reuse or recycle waste in their local area can visit the Sort-It website. Alternatively, businesses can use the Waste Aware Business recycling directory.

The jury is still out on whether one of Dylan’s other well known songs, Blowing in the Wind, is a commentary on the dangers of airborne pollutants.

Evolution leads to recognition for Waste Aware Scotland

It’s not everyday that someone recognises the work you do and when they do it’s certainly worth celebrating. On this occasion a new approach by Waste Aware Scotland has reaped rewards. What is the new approach and how is it different from what came before I hear you ask. Well my dear reader, settle down and I’ll tell you.

Dr Nicki Souter, our campaign manager, collecting the award (from Richard Lochhead MSP). Examples of the new style can be seen in the background.

Back in the days when recycling in Scotland was a new thing to do (in the early part of this new millenium) Waste Aware Scotland realised that showing people pictures of food cans with bits of food on them or rubbish all covered with other rubbish was unlikely to be effective in getting people to recognise their waste as a resource. So the decision was taken by our erstwhile leader, Nicki Souter (above), to use stylised black and white images of empty bottles, cans, boxes etc. to “normalise” waste. In other words to make people see that an empty bottle is a thing of worth – not a thing to be thrown away at the earliest opportunity.

How it all started - stylish, black and white photos

Over time the Scottish public really took this message on board and we now recycle over 33% of waste in Scotland, a huge achievement. It is widely recognised that materials have value and should be preserved and appreciated for what they have done and what they can do in future. So a drink can has the potential to live again, provided we place it into our recycling bins.

A few years ago our approach evolved. Gone were the black and white images and in came high-resolution, colour photos which served a similar purpose but refreshed and updated the materials we used around Scotland, in conjunction with most of the Local Authorities.

Progression to colour refreshed the campaign

Last year the approach evolved again, this time in a fairly revolutionary way. The idea was to get specific – to relate to people’s actual experience of dealing with their waste. To show people what goes where and link this to actual products and real life brands. This was a major undertaking because permission had to be obtained from the manufacturers, retailers and others to show their images in a waste context. We had to convince them that we would be respectful of their logos and packaging. Most agreed with our approach and were happy to sign up. Without this agreement the new style would have never worked so we must give thanks to big businesses who recognise the importance of recycling. We also need to thank local authorities who, in conjunction with our campaign officers, have embraced and rolled out the new style in their areas.

Recognisable images. Clear instructions. Simple.

The new style is easily transferable to any situation where waste can be segregated. It can be produced on posters, leaflets, truck signage, postcards or anywhere else that the public might look.  Speaking of which, we also need to give thanks to you, the Scottish public, for coming on this journey and putting your waste in the right place to allow local authorities to process it.

Another example of how the new style can work

The Communication Award we have received from the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) recognises the power of the approach we have taken.

Details of why we won are as follows:

ISWA is proud to announce that “Waste Aware Scotland Recycling Campaign” has been awarded the ISWA Communication Award 2009.

The jury found that overall the communications campaign run by Waste Aware Scotland to enhance the recovery of waste from households and therefore to meet national recycling targets was the best of the four nominations put forward for the ISWA Communications award in 2009.  The members of the judging panel were impressed by several aspects of the communications campaign, including:

• Piloting of the campaign
• The buy-in from stakeholders, especially food manufacturers and retailers
• Your range of presentation materials
• Linking local municipalities into a national campaign
• The extensive evaluation of the results.

The judging panel therefore felt that this campaign could act as an exemplar for other organisations seeking to raise awareness of the considerable range of products and materials which households could place in recycling bins.

Of course, all the awards in the world mean little if we do not achieve our real goal which is to minimise waste to landfill in Scotland. View a video of the award ceremony, featuring Richard Lochhead MSP, on YouTube by clicking here.

How To Recycle Low Energy Lightbulbs (CFL)

More and more of us are turning away from the bright lights of incandescense towards the softer, low energy alternative. My own flat has very few of the old style bulbs remaining following a bulb replacement programme ™ which I instigated as my old bulbs died. Fortunately (for the planet, if not my wallet) my property has electrical wiring from the 1800s so bulbs popped on a daily basis.  I soon found myself researching the surprisingly varied world of the compact flourescent lamp (CFL), the technical name for energy saving lightbulbs. Happily, one of the lesser mentioned benefits of CFLs is that they appear to not be as susceptible to blowing during power surges according to extensive research my limited experience.

Beautiful but Inefficient

Let’s be honest, there have been some problems with CFLs. Some early types emitted a green-tinged shade of light that gave people a puce, zombified look which is never nice on a first date. Some took minutes to warm up and so made a quick dash to the loo something of a lottery. However, I can reliably proclaim that these problems are mainly in the past. Technology now provides brighter, yellower, quicker CFLs which come on when you want and quietly provide light for years without sucking huge amounts of power from the mains.

One of the unintended outcomes of these technological improvements and cost reductions is that more people will “upgrade” their low energy lightbulbs before they reach the end of their natural life thus resulting in waste lightbulbs. Add these to lightbulbs which have come to the end of their lifespan and we are inevitably going to see an increase in this waste stream in Scotland.

Eight years in your house. Imagine the stories it could tell..

To give them a proper send off we need to make sure our dead low energy lightbulbs don’t enter the normal waste stream. Just as batteries are no longer permitted in landfill, neither are low energy lightbulbs. Unless you want to poison your children and their children in future years, please don’t forget that what ends up in landfill leaches into the surrounding soil. CFLs contain mercury (albeit a tiny amount) which can escape when the bulbs are broken, which will happen if they are crushed on their way to landfill.

As it happens, the Scottish Government recognises these dangers and recommend that CFLs should be recycled wherever possible. All 32 local authorities in Scotland provide recycling for CFL bulbs and you should contact your local authority to find out how. Some retailers also take back old CFL bulbs when you buy a new one so do check before you buy. To find your nearest recycling centre for energy saving lightbulbs please use our Sort It directory, searching for Flourescent Tubes. If possible, safely store old bulbs in a sealed container until you have enough to warrant a trip to a recycling centre. Then you can take old clothes and other items not collected at the kerb-side at the same time.

To find out more please visit our partner the Energy Saving Trust’s information on lightbulbs.

Richard Lochhead MSP opens our new offices

Today we were visited by the Scottish Environment secretary Richard Lochhead MSP.  He was here to officially open our new offices in Stirling. As you may be aware Waste Aware Scotland is one of several programmes within the environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB).

John Summers OBE and Richard Lochhead MSP

Mr Lochhead also used his visit to launch Stirling Council’s new initiative to reduce food waste and to present Waste Aware Scotland (that’s us) with the 2009 International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) Communication Award for its new, innovative recycling campaign. The award is a fantastic achievement and testament to the hard work of my colleagues and the management here.

A new KSB website was also launched during the event, making it easier for the public, local authorities, businesses and other Scottish organisations to access support and information about the seven programmes KSB administers.

Celebrating 42 years in the Stirling area, KSB is headed by chief executive John Summers OBE and is one of Scotland’s longest running environmental charities. As he opened our new headquarters Mr Lochhead said “The number of successful projects run by KSB is testament to the good work they have done over the past years, and will continue to do. I challenge the team to continue bringing environment messages to all corners of Scotland – now more than ever; with the Scottish Government’s zero waste vision and the threat of climate change we need to know how we can do more.”

I hope I speak on behalf of all staff when I say we are very grateful to Mr Lochhead for taking the time to come and see us. He delivered a rousing speech which demonstrated the Scottish goverment’s support for our work and the wider environment, which was very welcome.

Blog Facelift

Regular visitors will notice a couple of cosmetic changes to the blog. For a start the header has been replaced with a new, more eye-catching design. Other than that and a couple of minor colour changes you can find all the same information. In fact the changes should make old posts easier to access; you can see latest posts under my picture on the right and access older posts using the drop down “Older Posts” menu.

You can also subscribe to the RSS feeds for either comments or posts on the site using any RSS reader (included with some browsers). Just click the RSS buttons at the top right of the home page. To those unfamiliar with RSS feeds they are basically a way of subscribing to news/information on the web. You get updated when a new post/item is published which saves you having to visit the website for updates – they come to you.

I hope you like the changes.

Furniture + Landfill = Bad News

Waste Aware Scotland and the Community Recycling Network Scotland (CRNS) have teamed up to launch a new campaign to encourage people with unwanted furniture to donate it to a local reuse service.

What’s the harm in sending old furniture to landfill?

Furniture that ends up in landfill is a waste of the natural resources which went into making it. They can only be recovered with tremendous difficulty. Just imagine all the energy, water and waste that went into obtaining and transporting the raw materials to the factory; producing the furniture; transporting it to the retailer and finally to your home. Once the furniture is in landfill it’s all gone forever.

All the organic elements of the furniture such as wood and textiles will biodegrade in landfill, releasing methane, a greenhouse gas twenty times more potent than CO2. So, every time you save a piece of furniture from landfill you are saving some of the Earth’s resources which would otherwise be depleted. You also help to minimise the space required for landfill sites.

In addition to this is the high cost of replacing furniture with brand new items. By donating furniture you help to provide low cost furniture to people who really need it.

So there is a social benefit, an environmental benefit and a financial benefit in reusing furniture.

To find out more about furniture reuse in your area please visit our website.

£1 Billion: One Heck of a Till Receipt

As has been widely reported this week, a new piece of research by WRAP called The Food We Waste in Scotland (PDF) shows that people in Scotland discard a whopping one billion pound’s worth of food each year.  This amounts to a huge 570,000 tonnes in weight which is the same as every single person in Scotland throwing away their own bodyweight in food.

Imagine a person made of food...

The statistics have been broken down further by WRAP to reveal the ingredients we waste most: 19,000 tonnes of potatoes, 25,000 tonnes of sliced bread, 23,000 tonnes of fizzy drinks and 31,000 tonnes of milk are binned or poured down the sink every year.

Of this, roughly two thirds is perfectly edible. Which means we are either being extremely careful to avoid food poisoning, very fussy when it comes to the freshness of our food, storing food incorrectly or just a little bit bin happy.

Waste Aware Scotland (who run this blog) manages the Love Food Hate Waste Campaign in Scotland (aka Waste Aware Love Food) through which you can get lots of advice about ways to minimise food waste.

Our LFHW website is one of my favourites. Why not make it one of yours?

One of the most shocking things to come out of the report, as far as I can see, is the impact it has on a family’s income. Imagine someone came up to you and said your salary would be reduced by £430-550 a year after tax. How would you react? Then imagine that you could increase your income by the same amount simply by buying food more carefully and planning meals to ensure that all the food you buy is eaten.

Another perspective on this is that the food we waste which ends up in landfill releases methane gas as it breaks down which is a gas 20 times more potent than CO2.

All in all the benefits to ourselves, our wallets and our planet are clear. Now it’s time for action.

You Can Now Rate This Blog

In a bold and perhaps foolish move I have added a ratings tool to the Waste Aware Scotland blog which allows visitors (that’s you) to rate blog posts, pages and comments throughout the site. This is for two reasons. Firstly visitor levels have reached the point where I can potentially get meaningful statistics from the ratings I get so long as a fair proportion of visitors take the time to provide feedback. Secondly and more importantly it will help me to shape the direction of the blog in the future.

Rate This...

Writing blogs is a bit like whistling into the wind. You know the tune you’re playing, but you have no idea if anyone else can hear you, or indeed if they like what they hear.

Thanks very much.

Ratings from visitors may help to overcome this difficulty, so will be trialled over the next month or so to see what kind of feedback we get.

Please feel free to re-visit old posts and rate them as well. You can access them froarcm the archive on the right or simply by scrolling down the pages.

Please note you have to visit the full blog post (by clicking on the title) to enter ratings. Thanks in advance for the feedback.

Please Stop Recycling!

You’d be forgiven for thinking that I’ve finally gone over the edge. Writing a blog post on behalf of Waste Aware Scotland telling people to stop recycling! What a crazy thing to do. Am I a man in need of a P45 and a few months off? Well yes, probably, but I write this with a clear head and no, I haven’t lost control of my senses. Far from it.

Am I going slightly mad?

The reason for my outburst is that I’m trying to raise awareness of an issue which can easily escape even the most sensible minded person. It’s a point that I make time and time again at presentations, meetings or just whenever I get the chance. We are gripped by recycling fever. This is a good thing but it’s not the best possible thing.

We need to remember that recycling is not the holy grail of waste management in households or businesses. In fact recycling sits some way down the order of preference.

The actual holy grail, the gold medal, the top of the tree is waste reduction. In other words choosing not to have waste in the first place. Reduction is several degrees away from recycling because the latter takes energy, transportation and water to carry out.  It’s why the Waste Aware Scotland motto is “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle towards Zero Waste”. The order is deliberate and reflects the waste hierarchy which we should all ideally try to follow:

Reduce: Eliminating or avoiding waste. Does away with the need to find a disposal option.

Reuse: Repeatedly using a product or material for either the same purpose or a new one.

Recycle: Once you have exhuasted the above options, recycling remains preferable to any other disposal option.

So, when you buy fruit and vegetables loose and don’t use a bag, what are you left with? A few peelings. If you buy them and use a bag which you then reuse, what are you left with? One bag. If you use a new bag each time you shop, what are you left with? Lots of bags. So you can easily see that the Reduce, Reuse then Recycle message is a powerful one, provided people follow it.

It works with all waste materials in any given situation. Try it and see. I bet you find that it saves you time and reduces the amount of waste in your recycling bins. In fact, next time you put your rubbish in the recycling bins have a think about how much of it you could have avoided altogether. I did and I was surprised by just how much. For example my unread unwanted mail. It came through my door and went straight into a recycling bag. What a waste! In relation to this, we have a new campaign called Stop The Drop to help with unwanted mail.

Finally, please remember that recycling is the best option for waste, once it has been produced. And sometimes this waste is inevitable. For example much of the packaging around products you buy is there to protect items and we have very good evidence that many companies are working to reduce packaging wherever possible. The point of this post is to ask everyone to think a bit more before they take an action that might lead to waste being produced.