Council / Little appetite for idea of collecting food waste and textiles from households
THE IDEA of introducing compulsory food and textile waste collection from households has not been met too well locally – with the council saying it would put “unnecessary strain” on the local authority.
Meanwhile a local charity shop has raised concern over the idea of unwanted textiles and clothes being collected alongside the usual recycling and rubbish, warning that it would reduce charity shops’ income.
The Yell cancer support charity shop said it alone takes in around £8,000 a year from selling textiles.
Responding to a Scottish Government consultation, the shop said the potential impact of household textile collection “should not be underestimated”.
The government recently consulted on waste management ahead of a potential extension of the upcoming ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste.
One consultation topic was a review of the existing rural food waste exemption, which allows certain councils – including Shetland – not to collect food waste if it is not economically viable.
The government said it was keen to know if the exemption is “still the right approach given the importance of food waste recycling for reducing carbon emissions”.
It also consulted on the approach to the collection of textiles, which are not routinely recycled in Scotland.
The consultation asked whether kerbside collection would be beneficial or if additional measures could be taken at household waste recycling centres.
It appears the ideas have been met with a lukewarm reaction from Shetland, with the council one of the consultation respondents.
Waste management team leader Brydon Gray said he did not believe there is enough textile waste in Shetland to merit a household scheme, with there already being a network of clothes banks and re-use/charity shops.
“Removing this type of waste would be at the detriment to the good work these charity shops do, so I am strongly against this being taken control of by local authorities,” he said.
“I see no benefit in making this a compulsory kerbside collection as it will take away from local charities and increase workload for local authorities who are under increasing demands to do more work while budgets are frozen or cut.”
Gray also said he did not want to see the exemption on rural food waste lifted.
He highlighted how food waste is sent to the Energy Recovery Plant incinerator in Lerwick, with waste heat being used for the Lerwick district heating system.
Gray said this was a “good solution” and added that “one size does not fit all”.
He also said that introducing textile and food waste collection would “very much increase the burden and costs on the local authority”.
“Local councils are under pressure to do more work with a reduced budget with no sign of that getting any easier,” Gray continued.
“To add the additional burden of a compulsory food and textile waste collection would put unnecessary strain on the councils that are currently exempt.
“To ship these waste streams off island has an impact on carbon emissions as well as financial implications for island authorities.”
The consultation response also revealed that it costs a minimum of £1,200 for the SIC to send one trailer on the NorthLink freight boat to the mainland.
Meanwhile a representative from the Yell cancer charity shop said in its consultation response that they believed the current set-up for textiles is sufficient.
“If textiles were collected at the kerbside, it would discourage people from taking their quality textiles to charity shops,” they said.
“Charity shops are part of the circular economy, assist those with a social conscience to reuse/repurpose and provide funds to charities to continue their aims.”
They did, however, say that if there was “some way of ensuring that only unsaleable items were collected, that may be an option”.
In the foreword of the consultation documents, the Scottish Government said that “changes to our waste and recycling services are essential to ensure Scotland maximises the value from its waste”.
“In addition to the societal benefits of increased recycling and improved household services, a more circular economy presents significant economic opportunities, including job creation, cost savings, and the development of new markets for recycled materials,” it added.
Against the climate backdrop, the government said “we must accelerate progress to increase the recycling rate in Scotland”.
Zero Waste Scotland date indicates that from 2021 to 2023, households produced 440 thousand tonnes of food waste, approximately 174.5kg per household per year.
It is estimated that around 30 per cent was placed in residual waste bins and therefore not recycled.
Zero Waste Scotland also said textile waste made up four per cent of waste in 2021 “but 32 per cent of the carbon impacts”.
The government added that the “key rationale for the separate collection of textiles and textile strategy is to increase reuse, repair and recycling of textiles, alongside reducing textiles impact on the environment”.
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