What is Zero Waste?

Zero Waste: Edinburgh and Midlothian

Waste Grabber

Zero Waste: Edinburgh and Midlothian is a project which has been set up by the City of Edinburgh and Midlothian Councils in response to the Scottish Government's aim to make Scotland a zero waste society.

The Scottish Government published Scotland's Zero Waste Plan in June 2010. This sets a course towards a Zero Waste Future in Scotland by proposing long term recycling targets and other measures including:

separate food waste collections by 2013;
a ban on recyclable waste from landfill by 2015; and
a ban on biodegradable waste from landfill from 2017.

What does zero waste mean?

Zero waste means:

Using resources efficiently
Reduced use of raw materials
Sustainable design products made from renewable materials
Avoiding or reducing waste
Reusing products and materials
Recycling or composting waste materials
Recovering energy from waste

Residual municipal waste is the mixed waste collected from households that has not been reduced, reused or separated for recycling or composting.

Why is zero waste being introduced?

At the moment we send two thirds of our household waste to landfill. This is not a sustainable disposal method. It is becoming an increasingly costly option which can cause pollution, contributes to climate change and importantly wastes valuable resources.

We need to find new way of dealing with waste with the aim of reducing the amount of waste we create, as well as reusing, recycling, composting and recovering energy from as much of our waste as possible. One of the key Scottish Government targets for the coming years is to send no more than 5% of all the waste that is produced to landfill by 2025. New targets for household waste also require the recycling/composting of at least:

40 per cent by 2010;
50 per cent by 2013;
60 per cent by 2020; and
70 per cent of all waste by 2025.

A 25 per cent cap has also been placed at on the amount of waste that can be treated to produce energy which means that incineration cannot be used as a straight substitute for landfill disposal.

European legislation on landfill diversion means that councils could be subject to fines if they do not reduce the amount of biodegradable waste they are sending to landfill. However, the proposed ban on biodegradable waste being sent to landfill would help ensure targets were met.

What will the Zero Waste Project achieve?

Zero Waste: Edinburgh and Midlothian has been set up to procure long term contracts with the private sector to provide facilities to treat all food and residual waste collected for the Councils.

By recovering value from this waste and by combining this with their other activities, the Councils will meet their landfill diversion and recycling obligations.

Zero Waste Facilities

At the moment, it is not known exactly what type of facilities will be built or where they will be built (although a Council-owned site at Millerhill will be offered to bidders as a preferred location for them to develop). Read about the project site.