A Cleaner, Greener Future In Store As Scottish Futures Trust Teams Up With Zero Waste

14 December 2009

Zero Waste: Edinburgh and Midlothian has teamed up with the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) to help deliver a new residual waste treatment facility for the two councils, which is brought forward efficiently and as timely as possible.

Zero Waste invited the SFT to work with it on the project to tap into the Trust's in-house expertise in waste management infrastructure. By working together the project will have constant support and advice from the SFT's well known waste specialist Alastair Young. SFT's involvement in this and other waste projects across Scotland will enable information, experience and best practice to be shared between local authorities. The Zero Waste Project will also provide a valuable benchmark for other local authorities going through similar processes in future.

Councillor Robert Aldridge, Environment Leader at the City of Edinburgh Council, welcomed SFT's commitment to the project; "We are keen, with our partners Midlothian, to deliver a waste management solution that will meet the needs of our residents, is the best environmental option and provides value for money.  SFT can help us do this, as they bring experience, knowledge and the right contacts and information to the table.  I know I also speak on behalf of the whole project team when I welcome them to the team and look forward to working with them on this very important infrastructure project." Barry White, SFT Chief Executive, said; "It is encouraging to hear Zero Waste: Edinburgh and Midlothian is making good progress.  It is an exciting and strategically important project which Scottish Future Trust is keen to support.  We believe we can help the project navigate successfully the potentially tricky issues and challenges that exist in procuring a waste treatment solution.  We look forward to our journey together to deliver this facility."

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Zero Waste: Edinburgh and Midlothian is a joint project between the two Councils, which has been set up to help deliver the Scottish Government's aspiration for a Zero Waste Scotland.  The Project will work alongside and complement the extensive waste reduction, re-use and recycling activities of both Councils. A representative of the Scottish Futures Trust will sit on the project board in a non-voting position and will attend project meetings where there is a focus on improving value for money. Support will be given on a range of matters around the project including commercial negotiations. SFT will provide support at no cost to the project and will remain involved through the whole life-cycle of the procurement up to hand-over to the new operator.

Whilst Edinburgh and Midlothian Councils continue year on year to increase their recycling rates, a treatment facility is required to deal with the residual municipal waste. Residual municipal waste is the household and commercial waste, collected by Councils, which is left over after all reasonable efforts have been made to reduce, reuse, recycle or compost it. For more information on Zero Waste, Edinburgh and Midlothian please visit www.zerowastefuture.gov.uk or follow us on twitter.com/0wastefuture