Community recycling in Scotland is booming. According to the latest annual report published by the Community Recycling Network for Scotland, the sector is diverting 73,000 tonnes of material from landfill each year. Leonie Bennett takes a look at three social enterprises operating north of the border.
A sustainable landing
Based in Fife, in a self-sustaining Earthship, which is capable of heating and cooling itself, meeting its own water and power requirements, treating its own sewage and providing the opportunity to grow food all year round, you’ll find Sustainable Communities Initiatives (SCI) – a social enterprise that aims to show that it is possible to live without exploiting resources.
SCI founder Paula Cowie was on holiday in Taos, New Mexico, when she stumbled upon the Earthship concept. She wondered whether it could be replicated in the UK, especially given the very different climate, and whether it could get through planning. After writing a Masters thesis on the subject, Cowie concluded that it could indeed work. Building started in 2002, with the help of 10 people from Solar Survival, the people behind the New Mexican Earthships. The walls, made from old tyres filled with mud – each weighing 70kgs – and the roof were finished within a week. It then took another couple of years of hard work from volunteers to be ready to open as a visitor centre.
“It’s here for two reasons really,” says Earthship Visitor Centre Officer, Esmond Tresidder. “It’s here as a visitor centre and as a teaching resource, but also as an experiment to see how well the concept works in the Scottish climate and to establish what we might change for future, more extensive builds. As a teaching resource for environmental issues it is unmatched, since it covers such a wide range of topics. We run events for anyone wanting to build their own ecohouse. It’s the ultimate in terms of a green building.”
The one-room visitor centre cost about £26,000 to construct. But as Tresidder says, the water and electricity system is the expensive part and once you’ve got that, adding rooms doesn’t cost much: “The actual room was only about £9,000, so I would estimate that you’d be looking at approximately £50,000 for a proper family sized home.” Not bad for a pad with zero bills.
SCI is currently looking at plans to build a community of Earthships: “It’s called the ZWAZE project (Zero Waste And Zero Energy),” explains Tresidder. We are looking into getting land for that, and building a community where people can live and work with zero waste, zero energy aspirations.”
Away from the Earthship, SCI holds Creative Waste and Community Solutions workshops in conjunction with the Scottish Waste Awareness Group, as part of the Waste Aware Fife Educational Programme for community groups, schools, mental health service users, adult learners and single parents. And recently received development funding means the workshops will now be expanded across eight local authority areas in Scotland.
Focused primarily on schools at the moment, SCI encourages children to see rubbish as a resource. One such project involves turning 1,400 plastic bottles into a working greenhouse. Other activities include making plastic flowers, handmade paper, birdfeeders, masks and puppets, rockers, rag rugs and toys – all from reused items.
Meanwhile, SCI’s Eco-Schools Support and Advice Service, which is funded by the Fife Environment Trust and SEPA (Scottish Environmental Protection Agency), can help an Eco-School achieve its Green Flag. Through talks and practical hands-on experience, students gain an understanding and awareness of how their actions and behaviour can make a difference, allowing them to live more sustainable lives.The workshops are currently free to all Eco-Schools in Fife, but a fee applies to schools outside the area.
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How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.