Towards Zero

Ditching Disposables to stop takeaways costing the Earth Our guests In this episode, we hear how Scottish takeaways and their customers are wasting less and spending less as they go beyond the latest ban on throwaway plastic to help save the planet and their pocket. Alvaro Bernabeu tells us why he’s always charged a deposit for his paella pans. Now he’s saving cash as well as carbon by trialling deposits for other reusable tubs and cups at his restaurant in Edinburgh’s Portobello under Zero Waste Scotland’s Ditching Disposables scheme to help businesses nationwide make the best change for them and the planet. Zero Waste Scotland’s communications partner Catherine Bozec explains the ban in more detail, and why we should all ditch all disposables and choose to reuse everything wherever possible, from cups to clothes and computers. Greenpeace UK plastic campaigner Maja Darlington tells us all about the Big Plastic Count revealing how much we waste at home to help persuade governments and big businesses take more action.

How to make sure going electric really will help end the climate crisis Our guests In this episode, we talk about the need to switch from petrol and diesel to electric vehicles as we enjoy the freedom to get around again without making the climate crisis worse. Electric vehicle battery engineer Euan McTurk crunches the numbers in a bid to answer to a common question: Are electric cars really better for the planet than petrol or diesel? Zero Waste Scotland’s circular economy energy infrastructure expert, Charlotte Stamper, shares our latest research highlighting the risk of creating more waste as demand for electric vehicles soars – and discusses innovative solutions to avoid that risk and create more sustainable jobs in the process. Paul Codd explains how Cheesecake Energy, his tasty-sounding circular economy business, is pioneering an unlikely sounding way to make the switch to electric more sustainable.

It’s not unfair to say that, as consumers, most of us tend to show our love at Christmas through buying things for one another. With toy ads bombarding our televisions, and 3-for-2 on beauty items resulting in needless items clogging our bathroom cabinets, Santa lists began to have a page count, and, with it, our needless waste increased. In part two of our Christmas Special we talk to Sam Moir, Programme Manager for Revolve – Zero Waste Scotland’s quality standard for second-hand stores in Scotland, about the many ways we can still experience the joy of gifting at Christmas that won’t cost the earth.

For a lot of people, the best part about Christmas is the food – whether it be an excuse to graze on treats throughout the day, or a bustling table full of Christmas favourites. But food waste has a huge impact on our carbon footprint. Around half of all food waste in Scotland comes from householders and Christmas is a big contributor. Our Communications Lead, Andrew Pankhurst, joins us to share some fantastic, yet simple, ways to reduce the amount of food waste you produce, while still enjoying all the trimmings.

From wrapping paper to food packaging; cardboard boxes, to empty bottles – the festivities around Christmas certainly bring with them an array of waste that requires different modes of disposal. For some, this process can sometimes become confusing, resulting in waste being thrown away together or, in worst-case scenarios, fly-tipped. As well as being an eyesore, this can have a huge environmental impact. Thankfully, Jenny Fraser, our Consumer Campaigns Manager, joined us to share some of our top tips to help reduce waste and make recycling simple this Christmas.

From the gifts we buy at Christmas to the paper that we wrap them in – everything has a carbon tag attached. But we can all limit our carbon footprint during the most indulgent time by reducing the amount we consume. Consumption is an issue not just exclusive to Christmas, but it's definitely a time of the year where overindulgence is almost expected and it doesn’t have to be this way. Zero Waste Scotland believes that to truly end our contribution to the climate crisis, we need to think about how we consume and Christmas is a great time to start. In part one of our Towards Zero Christmas Special, our Communications Consultant, Miriam Adcock, shares how we can all have a conscientious Christmas.

Dress up and drink up without trashing the planet Our guests In this episode, we find out how to enjoy socialising and support the recovery post-Covid without making the climate crisis worse. More here

Fish suppers with a difference, dirty camping and binning our litter to help end the climate crisis and keep Scotland stunning. Our guests In this episode, we talk about how to get back out and about without trashing the planet. Litter doesn’t just spoil the view, it makes the climate crisis worse because it wastes things we need to make better use of. We chat to Sarah Heward at the Real Food Café about an appetising way to tackle Scotland’s litter problem and help the hard-hit tourism...

Secondhand is first choice for shoppers and businesses helping to end the climate crisis (Perthshire) Our guests Fiona Gilbert, development manager at Remake Scotland Laura Blair, circular economy sector manager for cities & regions at Zero Waste Scotland In this episode, we head to Perthshire where the charity Remake Scotland is pioneering the re-use revolution. Fiona Gilbert from Remake talks about creative scavenging and how Zero Waste Scotland’s Revolve quality guarantee for secondhand goods is encouraging people to shop differently to help end the climate crisis. Laura Blair, from Zero Waste Scotland’s circular economy team, explains how our ‘circular’ cities and regions network helps local textiles manufacturer Halley Stevensons waste less by supplying offcuts to Remake, inspiring a range of sustainable new products. Remake’s new ‘tool’ library lets people borrow everything from DIY tools to guitars and bouncy castles – and Fiona’s next big plan is to open Scotland’s first secondhand shopping centre. Find out more: Zero Waste Scotland provides a range of expert advice and support to help everyone waste less to cut the carbon emissions behind the climate crisis. Our Circular Cities and Regions programme was pioneered in Glasgow where we joined forces with the council and chamber of commerce to help businesses and communities. We now work on the programme with councils and chambers across Scotland including our newest circular region, the Highlands and Islands. Zero Waste Scotland’s Revolve certification is a national quality guarantee scheme for secondhand goods and customer service. Remake Scotland is one of more than 120 certified stores around the country selling a range of pre-loved items from clothes and books to bikes and furniture. Membership currently costs £100. Our Circular Economy Accelerator provides free support to help charities and firms like Remake Scotland and Halley Stevensons textile manufacturer work together to find ways to increase the value of wasted byproducts. Zero Waste Scotland’s Circular Economy Business Support Service (CEBSS) provides tailored, one-to-one expert advice for small and medium sized businesses across all sectors in Scotland. It’s designed to help companies do business differently to help end the climate crisis by finding more circular ways of working, including alternative supply chains. This can increase resource efficiency, profitability, product quality and customer base. Circular economy business models include sharing resources, modular design, re-use and repair, reprocessing and remanufacturing. Zero Waste Scotland’s Circular Economy Investment Fund (CEIF), which is financed through the European Regional Development Fund, supports innovative businesses to reduce waste and emissions, create sustainable jobs and attract further investment. Nearly £10m has been awarded through the CEIF so far. To apply for funding or find out more click here. To find out more about Remake Scotland, including their tool library and re-use container at Perth and Kinross Council’s recycling centre, click here. For information on Halley Stevensons click here.

How two Highland firms got together to help end the climate crisis by baking biscuits from beer. Our guests: Lewis Maclean, managing director at Maclean’s Highland Bakery Nigel Tiddy, managing director at Windswept Brewing Company

How a Scottish beauty business is helping to end the waste behind the climate crisis. In this episode, we take a virtual visit to Glasgow as Scotland’s largest city gears up to host COP26, the latest global climate crisis talks. We talk to Jo Chidley, who is cutting carbon emissions in the beauty industry and beyond through her simple ‘return, refill, repeat’ service – reusing bottles and jars to eradicate vast amounts of needless single-use packaging for everyday products like shampoo.

Superjackets, sofas for life and smart shopping can all help end the climate crisis Our guests Saskia Goeres, creator of Sofa ForlifeStephen Boyle, head of construction at Zero Waste ScotlandSharon McCracken, sustainability leader at IKEAIn this episode, we explore what the future of our homes looks like. We talk to Saskia Goeres about how the sight of so many abandoned sofas in Glasgow inspired her to create a sofa designed to last a lifetime to help end the climate crisis. Zero Waste Scotland’s Stephen Boyle drops in to discuss ‘superjackets’ and other more sustainable ways of building better homes. Sharon McCracken joins us from IKEA to translate the idea of ‘living lagom’ and explain why the global furniture store gave its customers cash to help them live more sustainably and then dropped the amount from £500 to £100 after proving that sustainable shopping really doesn’t cost the earth. Subscribe to catch the latest episodes.

Insect farming and other ways to reduce food waste and help save the planet. Our guests Dr William Clark, bioeconomy expert at Zero Waste Scotland;Laurence Webb, responsible sourcing manager at Tesco;Rosie Jack, market and events manager for Bowhouse food hub in Fife. In this episode, we explore the fascinating future of food. We talk to Zero Waste Scotland’s bioeconomy expert, Dr William Clark, who probably knows more than anyone in Scotland about how Scottish insect farms can help to produce the sustainable food supply we need - reducing waste and emissions and creating green jobs too. Tesco joins us to explain why the UK’s largest supermarket is keen on insect farming too as part of growing efforts to help combat climate change by working with its suppliers to make customers’ shopping far more sustainable. Fife food and drink hub, Bowhouse, also drops in for a chat about how as a small, Scottish business it’s working with Zero Waste Scotland and local food producers to make a big difference to food waste. Subscribe to catch the latest episodes.

The job that can’t wait – how the energy sector and other industries are doing business differently to end the climate crisis Our guests: Mark Herring, Future net-zero Workforce lead at National Grid ESO;James Barry, Chief Executive of Renewable Parts Ltd; Iain Gulland, Chief Executive of Zero Waste Scotland.In this episode, the job that can’t wait – from homeworking to turning waste from whisky into valuable new products, there are countless ways to help make every job green. We talk to Mark Herring from National Grid ESO about how the UK’s energy sector is recruiting the net zero workforce we need with 400,000 posts nationwide from engineers to data analysts. James Barry drops in from Renewable Parts wind turbine refurbishment specialist to share the inspiring story of a sustainable Scottish business that is not just surviving but thriving. Iain Gulland joins us from Zero Waste Scotland to discuss the challenges and opportunities which doing business differently brings. Subscribe to catch the latest episodes.

The UK construction industry creates heaps of waste: over ordering, incorrect ordering, material damage. Minimising waste in this sector has never been more important. Enter JML Contracts – a building and civil engineering company who have been waste conscious since day one. Working in remote locations has always meant using materials to their fullest, and not transporting excess supplies to site without reason. Specialising in modular construction with pre-fabricated panels, JML are paving...

RAB Microfluidics want to help businesses move from reactive to predictive maintenance strategies. Their technology lets clients monitor machinery in real time and diagnose problems early. Working with companies in the oil and gas, aerospace and defence, processing and manufacturing, power generation, transport and maritime industries, their net is cast wide. Their circular business model centres on enabling technologies. Their ‘lab-on-a-chip’ method analyses machine lubricating oil right...