Scotland’s new answer to recycling and last stories of cycling in Orkney
24th of September; Orkney's Waste team supporting Scotland’s new deposit scheme and encouraging recycling week
Over two billion single use drink containers are bought in Scotland per year. Less than 40% are recycled. Scotland are really stepping up to tackle this issue and hope to stop all single use plastic by 2025. ~(Great article on what plastics we can and can't recycle in the UK)
I found out at an Orkney Waste Team event, that Scotland is planning to implement the deposit return scheme, which is already working great in 37 other countries.
(Article about what Scottish people think about the scheme)
The scheme works by charging people a small deposit for the bottle or cans it comes in. They get this money back when they return the bottle the bottle or can to a collection point to be recycled. The collection points will be in supermarkets and other places.
I think in the beginning, like most changes, it will have some push back. People will complain like paying 5p for a bag. However, after time, it will become second nature, just like taking a bag to the shops is now. Plus, the long-term benefits are overwhelming.
It can even reduce the amount of fizzy drinks we as a nation consume. Improving the populations health and the environment symbiotically.
What other countries are doing
Berlin was the first place I had seen this way of recycling. I instantly thought it was an awesome idea. What an amazing incentive to encourage recycling. In Berlin, the scheme really helps the homeless community. On our trip there we seen many homeless people collecting bottles. If people choose not to recycle, this is a perfect incentive to make it continue. Having both and environmental and social impact.
In Canada, Switzerland and other countries people have a separate bin to collect all recyclable bottles and cans. If people decide not to recycle, homeless people can collect them.
I am so happy to hear Scotland implementing this. It is a huge step, the policy really has the potential to improves Scottish society in so many ways.
Cleaner streets, grass without litter, fresher air, healthy drink choices, reduced sugar consumption all working together to improve our physical and mental well-being.
27th of September; Bumped into Ian, our Orkney cycle activist again, “I am out working, I am inspecting the drains”
When I ran into Ian, he was walking all through Kirkwall town, doing risk assessments and taking notes on potential cycling safety hazards. He pointed a drain and asked me “what would happen if a person was to cycle over this”. I responded, “the wheel could get stuck”. What could prevent this? I thought about it. He said simply by turning the drain horizontally. The drain is perfectly square and would take seconds to move. It was an aha moment.
He really highlights the small changes we can make to prevent the risk of accidents and improve the cycling experience for everyone. If we put cycling first, or at least considered cycling, these flaws would not even make it into designing infrastructure.
We also talked a lot about green infrastructure, and the fact that when roads are built, especially historically, they are built with cars in mind, really not considering cyclist or pedestrians.
He went on to tell me all about Orkney's new green infrastructure plans. Where they propose to take every opportunity to improve public access and cycle paths throughout Orkney. With the aim of opening up links to green space and encourage active travel.
I have never met a man so dedicated ad passionate about cycle and improving the experience for everyone. Every time I have a chance to talk with him I leave inspired and really happy. We exchanged address, as Ian does not have a mobile or use email. I can’t wait to write and hear about all his future project success.
Thank you so much for making it to the end, you rock.
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