Waste management firm Barr Environmental and waste electronic and electrical equipment recycling company Glasgow Computer Recycling have become the latest two companies to sign up to Scotland’s Resource Sector Commitment.

Developed by Zero Waste Scotland to support delivery of the Scottish Government’s Zero Waste Plan, the commitment, which launched last year, serves as a ‘kite mark’ for resource management companies.

It asks signatories to agree to:

• provide customers with ‘high-quality recycling services’ (supported by clear communications and consistent with legal requirements);
• give advice on preventing waste and using resources efficiently;
• have ‘user-friendly’ contracts and charging structures; and
• enable customers to give feedback.

It is hoped that these steps will help promote continuous improvement, bolster customer service, and enable businesses to reduce waste and be more resource efficient.

To date, 20 companies have signed up to the commitment.

'Publicly demonstrating support for Scotland’s zero waste ambitions'

Speaking of the new signatories, Iain Gulland, Director of Zero Waste Scotland said: “I’m delighted to welcome both Barr Environmental and Glasgow Computer Recycling as new signatories… By signing up to the commitment, organisations can publicly demonstrate their support for Scotland’s zero waste ambitions, as well as instilling customer confidence in their services.”

Grant Morgan, from Glasgow Computer Recycling said the company was "delighted to receive this recognition of [its] commitment to securely reusing computers and IT equipment and responsibly recycling small electric equipment", adding: "We strive to provide a high quality service which allows customers to safely and legally dispose of their redundant computers, and we aim to maximise the reuse potential of equipment by using government certified data erasure software.

"Support from Zero Waste Scotland has allowed us to expand our service offering and invest in equipment to further meet any IT Asset Disposal requirements so businesses can recycle their old computers confidently and cost effectively."

Gordon Whiteford from Barr Environmental Limited also commented, saying: "We have a long-standing relationship with a number of Scottish local authorities and private sector companies, and by signing up to Scotland's Resource Sector Commitment we are making a strong statement about our pledge to continue to provide our clients with high quality resource management services in tandem with an outstanding customer experience."

Zero Waste Scotland is now urging other firms in the industry to sign up to the commitment.

Find out more about Scotland’s Resource Sector Commitment.