ZWS funds five ‘zero waste’ communities
Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) is to fund five communities to investigate how ‘higher recycling rates’ and ‘greater local resource efficiency’ can help to achieve zero waste by 2020.
The process began this summer, when expressions of interest were sought from community organisations, social enterprises and others, to examine the feasibility of such a project over the next few months.
The five communities (of 5,000 to 10,000 people) selected will be led by organisations with a ‘track record of bringing partners together to deliver change’, and will be awarded funding to develop a business case over the coming months.
The communities and their leading organisations are:
- Campbeltown/Bute, led by Fyne Fytures
- Dumbarton, led by West Dunbartonshire CVS
- Dunbar, led by Sustaining Dunbar
- Girvan, led by Aspire2gether
- Mull and Iona, led by Mull & Iona Community Trust
Once the business cases are developed (by the end of December 2013), ZWS intends to select one or two communities who will be further supported to take their projects forward in 2014/15. The chosen communities will then receive ‘targeted support’ and additional funding to enable them to build ‘comprehensive project delivery plans’.
Project is an ‘ambitious model’
Speaking of the project, Director of Zero Waste Scotland, Iain Gulland, said: “This is a really exciting project for Scotland as it looks to increase momentum with innovative new ideas to deliver a zero waste society.
“We have been looking for organisations that can lead the gathering of evidence and show the vision, ambition and practical skills needed to pull off this ambitious model.
“The successful implementation of plans, from the new year onwards, will demonstrate the most effective ways that communities in Scotland can achieve zero waste by delivering the highest recycling rates and reducing residual waste, and that business in those places can significantly reduce their use of key materials, energy and water.”
Italian inspiration
According to ZWS, the project draws its inspiration from other similar initiatives, for example Italy’s ‘internationally renowned’ Zero Waste Town programme.
Zero waste campaigner Rossano Ercolini, from Capannori, Tuscany, was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2013 in recognition of his efforts in ‘stimulating community-led action and a new approach to waste management’.
In response to Ercolini’s zero waste work, the town of Capannori now has a recycling rate in excess of 80 per cent and works closely with local government in reducing waste arisings, through the Zero Waste Research Centre (read more about Ercolini’s zero waste work in Capannori in Resource 73).
Find out more about the ‘zero waste town’ project.
