FOCUS
Waste not,
want not
The Scottish Government has set ambitious targets for recycling for businesses, individuals and local
government. Rory Cahill asks whether zero waste is achievable in the midst of a savage economic slowdown
R
ecession chic is here. Glance
through any glossy magazine in a
weekend paper and you’ll find columnists
and reviewers telling us that austerity is in,
that second-hand is the new black. Gone
are the dainty and complex dishes requir-
ing exotic ingredients, in favour of honest
if somewhat stodgy, but undeniably filling,
dishes that make for great leftovers the next
day. We are constantly reminded that our
grandparents, those children of the Great
Depression, never wasted a single anything.
They used every single bit of every single
thing they purchased and more often than
not, reused it several times afterwards.
As we rediscover the joy of compost-
ing and darning up those old socks instead
of purchasing a new pair, it is worth recall-
ing that this zero-waste approach is being
embraced at levels, well above that of the
individual. Governments, including that
of Scotland, are setting increasingly ambi-
tious targets to have businesses as well as
households recycling the majority of what
they use.
And this is not just about saving money.
Systemic recycling is vital to reducing our
carbon emissions. We must reuse and
reuse what we have now or we’ll soon have
nothing left at all. But we shouldn’t just
look at this in terms of a chore, of being
forced to take our empty bottles out on a
national scale or else we’ll get a slap over
the wrist. Instead we should embrace the
concept of zero waste as an opportunity.
In an economic downturn of increasing
ferocity, not only can businesses and indi-
viduals save money by reducing their waste
– it is estimated the average British house-
hold throws out £500 worth of unused
food a year – but dealing with waste and
extracting the value contained within has
the potential to be a growth industry at a
time when nearly every other sector is in
| www.holyrood.com | Holyrood magazine | 9 February 2009 |
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