Recycle on the go. plastic bottles. paper. drinks cans. A guide for organisations managing or implementing recycle on the go infrastructure.

Transcription

1 Recycle on the go A guide for organisations managing or implementing recycle on the go infrastructure plastic bottles paper Issued: September 2012 drinks cans

2 Zero Waste Scotland works with businesses, individuals, communities and local authorities to help them reduce waste, recycle more and use resources sustainably. Find out more at Acknowledgements Zero Waste Scotland wish to thank all of the organisations who participated in the interviews and those that were involved in the waste composition and behaviours projects, all of which informed this guide. Aberdeenshire Council Alupro Associated British Ports Barbican Arts Centre Birmingham Airport Ltd Birmingham National Exhibition Centre Business Design Centre Caerphilly Borough Council Carmarthenshire County Council City of London Coca Cola Enterprises Crossgates Shopping Centre, Leeds Cylch Dundee City Council East Lothian Council Edinburgh Airport Elmbridge Borough Council Emirates Stadium Excel Centre Frimley Park Hospital Glasgow City Council Hackney Council Ipswich Borough Council London Borough of Islington Keele University Milton Keynes Council Newcastle Airport Ltd NHS Lothian Overgate Shopping Centre, Dundee Perth & Kinross Council ReNew Royal Bath and West Showground Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh St Fagans National History Museum Southend-on-Sea Borough Council The Nevis Range Mountain Experience Vale of Glamorgan Council Westminster City Council We would also like to acknowledge the invaluable support of those organisations that attended the stakeholder engagement workshops in January page 2

3 implementation involved in developing and delivering RotG RotG Appendix 1: Glossary 59 Appendix 2: Case studies 61 Appendix 3: Containers guide 91 page 3

4 Recycle on the Go an overview Recycle on the Go (RotG) enable people to recycle valuable materials like newspapers, bottles and cans while away from home or the workplace. RotG has been identified as the next major opportunity to encourage more recycling across the UK, and an increase in the provision of RotG is underway across Scotland and elsewhere in the UK. Organisations responsible for installing and managing a RotG infrastructure include local authorities and the owners and managers of public venues such as shopping centres, railway stations and other transport hubs, hospitals, educational establishments and sporting arenas. The benefits of RotG There are good reasons to implement RotG, such as: Achieve organisational improvement through cost-savings and enhanced competitive advantage. Demonstrate commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental improvement. Protect the environment. Comply with legislation. This final point is critical for these organisations, particularly as the EU Waste Framework Directive (WFD) has become national law in Scotland, enforcing waste producers to apply the WFD disposal hierarchy to their waste management activities. They must also abide by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency s Duty of Care requirements, and local authorities will need to ensure their RotG services meet the requirements of Part IV of the Environmental Protection Act Planning a RotG scheme There are many considerations to take into account when looking at the options for a RotG solution. These start with the all-important planning phase to consider the overall scope of the service and how it should integrate with existing schemes in terms of units, how they are currently used by the public, collection patterns, the kinds of waste collected and the types of unit used. Close analysis of the level and type of facility that a locality needs is critical to developing the right overall solution in terms of: the waste streams it should cater for; the unit designs and categories that should be implemented; where units should be sited; Health & Safety considerations. In addition, different types of site and event have their individual requirements. The range of covered embraces: events locations (e.g. commercial, cultural and sporting); hospitals consumer-facing areas only (e.g. restaurants, waiting areas and car parks); leisure attractions/venues (e.g. sporting arenas, theme parks, conference, academic establishments); on street (e.g. city centres, market towns and other public spaces); shopping centres; and transport hubs (e.g. airports, ferry ports, motorway services, railway stations). Chapter 4 goes into the detail of what each of these groups needs to consider most when designing and implementing a RotG scheme. page 4

5 Procurement and negotiation There is also a considerable range of logistical, procurement and issues to consider and negotiate in ensuring that the organisation gains from the most efficient and effective use of existing and external resources. These include: setting detailed objectives for your RotG scheme; conducting a full scoping of the required resources and the procurement involved; gaining an understanding of existing contracts and any potential for adapting these to meet the new requirements; developing your specification, including the frequency of and responsibility for emptying units; collecting and analysing data from the units; setting up and implementing annual contract reviews for maximum flexibility; and communicating with contractor to establish who can provide what and at what cost. Overcoming the barriers to usage WRAP research shows that there are some very real and powerful barriers that prevent people from always making the best use of RotG, including: an assumption that there will be inadequate provision; poor signage; assumed inconvenience involved with recycling; and a lack of recognition of the provided. This means that organisations need to understand and break down these barriers, through making RotG schemes as easy to use as possible and through effective communication. In terms of ease, factors like location of units, materials to be collected, aperture shapes and sizes, signage and colour schemes are critical. In terms of communication, a considerable degree of support is available, including flexible templates featuring the UK-wide Recycle Now brand. Organisations are advised to consider their target audiences, communications channels and messages, and to test materials before launch to ensure that they are clear and unambiguous. Setting the cost parameters The of any RotG scheme comprise capital (unit purchase) and operational (treatment, disposal, maintenance and promotional). These may be at least partially offset, however, by cost reductions achieved elsewhere in an operation s waste collection and recycling activities, the sale of recyclate and financial support. It is only by working out the involved against the potential for savings and revenue that an organisation can quantify a scheme s viability. Naturally, different RotG units and systems differ greatly in terms of functionality and capital cost (see Chapter 3 to help decide what kind of units your scheme requires and Chapter 7 for a detailed list of outline prices by unit type). Monitoring of key indicators is essential to ensure the sustainable quality and improvement of a RotG scheme, covering factors including tonnage captured, capture rate, the quality of materials, contamination levels and public awareness and usage of the scheme. Such data enables operators to maximise the effectiveness and value of their RotG schemes. page 5

6 1.0 and overview Welcome to this guide, which provides key information on the options for, and benefits of, introducing Recycle on the Go (RotG). Its principal aims are to aid and inform decision-making, and to highlight the options for introducing new RotG or enhancing existing ones. At Zero Waste Scotland, we hope you find it useful and welcome your feedback on how it may be improved further. The RotG landscape People dispose of large amounts of waste away from home when shopping, travelling or visiting places of interest. This waste is often rich material that can be recycled: newspapers, magazines, bottles and cans. RotG provides people with that allow them to recycle even when they are away from home or work. RotG is increasingly identified as the next challenge in encouraging more recycling in Scotland. Whereas the challenges and issues around in-home recycling are relatively well understood, practice and knowledge in the field of RotG is limited. A number of schemes have been trialled and introduced in recent years, but there is no central body of evidence assessing their effectiveness. This guide is intended to help fill that information gap. This guide summarises evidence and best practice from a number of RotG schemes that have been trialled and introduced in recent years. 1.1 Target audience As many organisations have an interest in providing RotG, this guide is targeted at a range of audiences and decision makers. Local authorities, for example, have a responsibility for maintaining many of our public spaces and therefore the provision of RotG in streets and public parks falls to them. In other public places, such as shopping centres, railway stations and other transport hubs, hospitals, educational establishments and sporting arenas, the implementation of RotG is at the discretion of the owner or manager of each facility. The guide is aimed at organisations that plan to provide RotG in the future as well as those seeking to improve or expand their existing RotG. It covers both on-street recycling infrastructure and other types of publicly-accessible recycling. Whatever your organisation or role, this guide will tell you all you need to know about how to set up or expand a RotG scheme. Please note, the guide is intended to be read initially in its entirety, from beginning to end if you select chapters in isolation before becoming familiar with the entire guidance document, you may not get the full picture necessary to devise and implement a successful RotG scheme. If you require more detailed RotG advice, please contact Zero Waste Scotland on , or visit The guide also provides links to other useful sources of information. 1.2 Scope of this guide For the purpose of this guide, RotG are classified as: event locations (e.g. commercial, cultural and sporting); hospitals consumer-facing areas only (e.g. restaurants, public waiting areas and car parks); leisure attractions/venues (e.g. sporting arenas, theme parks, conference ); on-street (e.g. city centres, market towns and other public spaces); educational establishments (e.g. universities); shopping centres; and transport hubs (e.g. airports, ferry ports, motorway services, railway stations and educational campuses). and overview page 6

7 A number of organisations have been consulted during the development of the guide and their feedback has been integrated throughout. The guide also contains case study examples which provide insights into scheme development and, critically, lessons learned that will be beneficial to other organisations. Detailed case studies can be found in Appendix 2 at the end of this document. Recycling at work schemes are addressed in separate Zero Waste Scotland guidance, which can be found here. 1.3 Using the guide The guide is structured in logical steps that will help you plan, deliver and make the most of your RotG. As stated above, we recommend you read each of the chapters within the guide. You can also direct colleagues with specific roles to key chapters; for example, your communications team may be interested in Chapter 6, which provides information on promotion and branding. If you are looking to enhance an existing scheme, you may want to focus on Chapter 8, which covers performance monitoring and, and Chapter 4 gives an overview of different types of units and systems. For those wishing to scope the and returns involved in implementing a RotG scheme, Chapter 7 outlines the likely cost parameters you should consider. A glossary of terms can be found in Appendix Chapter 1 Chapter 2 implementation There are many benefits to introducing a RotG scheme, including: Competitive advantage; Demonstration of corporate social responsibility commitments; Environmental protection; Legislative compliance; and Operational efficiencies leading to reductions in. Chapter 3 for developing and delivering RotG What materials to target; Waste composition the nature of the waste you are currently collecting at your site(s); Unit design; Infrastructure; Health & Safety; and Location and siting. Chapter 4 Consider any specific restrictions for your site during planning; these could include location, frequency of collection, materials collected and signage etc; Work with operational staff to understand the current system and what impacts any proposed changes will have; and Calculate what capacity of RotG you need to provide for your site and be flexible at first about what residual waste capacity you provide. and overview page 7

8 Chapter 5 Make sure you analyse your before planning a service. What objectives do you have for the RotG service? How can your existing service be adapted to incorporate RotG? Carry out annual contract reviews to enable greater contract flexibility. What is the associated cost? Consider how best to get value for money in the context of legal requirements. Consider what you would like to provide and who should deliver the individual elements. Talk to the key contractors and see what is potentially available. Chapter 6 RotG Make easy to understand and use: Consider unit type and target materials in conjunction with the available space for signage; If possible, provide recycling for all the core group of materials: cans, glass, paper and plastic bottles; Consider limiting the number of accepted materials to avoid confusing users; Test signage with potential users to ensure that it provides clear information on acceptable materials and cannot be misinterpreted; Ensure that container locations are identifiable to those familiar with the area; Residual waste should be co-located or be integral to recycling, with the recycling unit differentiated from the residual waste bin through the use of colour; and Select apertures that provide further clues to the materials accepted by the units. From a communications perspective: Ensure your target audience is at the heart of all your efforts; Choose communications channels likely to give you greatest exposure; Ensure clarity of signage on units, and avoid ambiguous words; Take care over the size of messages and placement of message on units especially when / if combined with sponsorship logo on units; At events, train your staff and inform stallholders, caterers or other relevant people who might be responsible for recycling and waste; and If possible, inform consumers in advance of attendance about recycling at events or venues. Chapter 7 Evaluate each scheme option to assess relative and cost-effectiveness for your organisation; Consider the type of unit required based on the characteristics and needs of the location, in conjunction with servicing the unit, i.e. vehicle and staff required to empty each unit and emptying frequency; Consider the options for the management of the material once collected. Can this be easily managed under an existing contract, or is a contract variation needed?; Take into account the of maintenance as well as promotional material; Explore any potential benefits from introducing RotG schemes, such as avoided from the diversion of material from landfill; and Liaise with container manufacturers as they may able to support pilot schemes before you roll out a full service. Chapter 8 Take the time to plan your scheme thoroughly and identify key performance indicators from the start. Collect and regularly review any available data. Appendix 1 Glossary of terms Appendix 2 Case studies Appendix 3 Container guide and overview page 8

9 2.0 implementation The need to provide RotG Overview This chapter sets out the key reasons for and benefits of implementing a RotG scheme. It outlines the policy, strategy, legislation and organisational drivers, including national waste strategies, the role of Zero Waste Scotland and the legislative requirements for the collection and storage of waste. Organisational corporate social responsibility Operational efficiencies National and local policy 2.1 Cost-savings, commitment and CSR Being resource-efficient may help you to cut waste disposal. It could also help improve your standing with customers who, more than ever, are looking for companies to demonstrate their commitment to environmental sustainability. A visible RotG system sends a strong message to employees and customers alike that you re considering the environment as part of your wider corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments. 2.2 The environment We are entering an era of resource scarcity, when extracting and processing raw materials will become increasingly challenging. If we can capture and recycle certain waste materials, we will reduce the extraction and processing stages and so help to protect the environment. In particular, using recycled materials in any manufacturing process requires considerably less energy than when products are created from scratch. Recycling helps to: conserve resources; protect the environment; reduce landfill; and save energy. Environmental protection Figure 1 Drivers for implementing RotG. Drivers for implementing RotG Legislative compliance 2.3 Operational efficiencies For local authorities which already operate a household recycling system, the introduction of RotG can improve operational efficiencies through: increased recycling and reduced disposal to landfill; responding to customer requests for enhanced recycling ; and streamlining services by combining RotG with other recycling services (e.g. trade waste recycling, recycling from flats above shops, and incorporating recycling collection into street cleansing operations). page 9

10 2.4 National policy and strategy The rapid growth in the number of RotG reflects an increased focus by the Scottish Government and supporting organisations. RotG are also growing elsewhere in the UK. In Scotland, the Zero Waste Plan sets a 70% recycling target for all waste by Providing RotG will help achieve this target. Zero Waste Scotland encourages increased RotG opportunities to stimulate changes in public behaviour. Zero Waste Scotland s programme plan 1 states that this will include evaluating and scaling up its current RotG pilot, as well as working with key stakeholders to improve RotG and their public usage. Prevention Prepare for reuse Recycle Recover other value Disposal If you can t prevent it, then... If you can t prepare for reuse, then... If you can t recycle it, then... If you can t recover value, e.g., energy, then... Landfill if no alternative is available. Following on from the publication of the Zero Waste Plan, Scotland published the Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2, May 2012, which place a duty on businesses to take all reasonable steps to ensure the separate collection of dry recyclable waste (glass, metal, plastic, paper and card including cardboard) from 01 January The regulations will require businesses to segregate paper and card, glass, metals and plastic for recycling. Business with RotG in public-facing areas will also need to comply with these requirements. 2.5 Legislation The EU Waste Framework Directive (WFD) aims to reduce the amount of waste across Europe and increase recycling and reuse. In Scotland, the WFD has been transposed into national law by Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2011 and The WFD has been revised several times since it was first introduced in the 1970s. The most recent version introduced a revised waste hierarchy, which prioritises different waste management options based on their environmental impact Figure 2 The waste hierarchy. This hierarchy is a key consideration for policy and service decisions, both nationally and locally. Waste producers must take all reasonable steps to apply the waste hierarchy to the management of their waste. This means that when addressing waste management you should aim to deal with waste as high up the hierarchy as possible. Materials collected by RotG schemes are waste; therefore you must follow the Duty of Care Regulations as applied in Scotland when storing and transferring it: all waste movements are accompanied by a waste transfer note which describes the waste and its origin; anyone that material is passed onto is authorised to take the waste (i.e. is a registered waste carrier) and that the receiving site is authorised to accept the waste; and waste is stored securely and not allowed to escape. Further guidance on Duty of Care requirements are provided in Section 2.6 below. page 10

11 You must also ensure that your activities comply with the appropriate permit or exemption, as well as any other guidance. Furthermore, local authorities providing RotG will need to ensure their services meet the requirements of Part IV of the Environmental Protection Act This places a duty on local authorities to ensure as far as possible that their land, or land for which they are responsible, is kept free of litter and refuse. Further guidance on this is available here. You can store recyclates, produced on your own premises, in a secure place for up to 12 months prior to collection. After collection, material must be taken to an authorised facility. 2.6 Duty of Care Table 1 outlines the aspects you need to consider in order to ensure compliance with the requirements of Duty of Care. If you are working with a contractor that exports the material collected from your site, your Duty of Care requirements extend to ensuring that this export is compliant with the appropriate legislation. See the Trans-frontier Shipment of Waste Regulations (TFS) for further guidance. Table 1 Complying with the Duty of Care Regulations Duty Secure storage of waste Ensure your waste is transferred to someone who is authorised to receive it Ensure the site receiving the material is authorised to accept it What to do Check that waste receptacles (individual receptacles and any bulking containers) are secure (e.g. locked) to minimise opportunity for unauthorised entry. Take reasonable precautions to ensure that receptacles are not left to become overfull and spill out. Check that vehicles used in the collection service provide a secure means of containing and transporting the material(s) during collections. Check with SEPA Further guidance on how to become an authorised waste carrier is also available. Check that the receiving site holds a waste management licence or exemption which allows them to accept the material. It is recommended that copies of these are obtained from the receiving on an annual basis. SEPA can also advise on this. Ensure that the transfer of waste is covered by a waste transfer note Check that waste transfer notes have been provided for the movement of all waste, and are retained for the minimum period of two years. Note that waste transfer notes are not necessarily required for every movement, as season tickets can be used for regular transfers of the same quantity and type of material. page 11

12 Waste transfer notes, which form part of the Duty of Care requirement, must include the following information: written description of the waste (e.g. paper, commingled plastic bottles and cans); any process that the waste has been through (e.g. compaction of cardboard); how the waste is contained or packaged (e.g. bags, plastic drums, skip etc); the quantity of the waste (weight or volume) (e.g litre bags of waste, 1 9 cubic yard skip); the appropriate European Waste Catalogue (EWC) code for the waste guidance on EWC codes is available from SEPA the place, date and time of transfer; the name and address of both parties involved in the transfer (i.e. the waste producer and waste contractor); details of the permit, licence or exemption of the person receiving the waste (i.e. the waste contractor); and declaration that the waste hierarchy has been considered before disposing of the waste. Key points There are many benefits to introducing a RotG scheme, including: Competitive advantage Demonstration of corporate social responsibility commitments Environmental protection Legislative compliance Operational efficiencies leading to reductions in. page 12

13 3.0 involved in developing and delivering RotG Overview This chapter highlights the key aspects to consider in the development and delivery of a RotG scheme, including planning, selection of materials, unit design, infrastructure requirement, collection systems, unit siting and location. 3.1 The recycling system in Scotland Recycling collections within Scotland can be undertaken by local authorities, private or third sector organisations. Local authorities have a statutory responsibility to provide household waste and recycling collections as well as services for other organisations, including businesses. These can be delivered either by the local authority or on its behalf by a waste management contractor. From the point at which a person deposits waste in a RotG unit, that waste becomes the responsibility of the site s managers. The material is emptied from the unit and taken to a store or prepared for collection on site by a waste management contractor. Next, the material is taken for sorting, treatment and reprocessing. Whether all materials are collected together (commingled) or separately (source-segregated) will determine which materials are collected. 3.2 Planning your RotG Research is important in planning your RotG scheme, to fully understand the environment in which it will operate. If you already have a RotG scheme in place and want to expand, you must also consider whether your current scheme is capable of expansion or whether a new service will be needed. You should consider: what your current waste management are; where your existing RotG units are located; how the existing units are used by the public (performance and observation); and what information you have on usage, including tonnage, waste composition, user statistics and anecdotal information. For local authorities, the resources to provide a completely different service may be limited. Therefore, alignment with what you already have in place will enable links and synergies between services. It is vital to review: street cleansing requirements and existing collection logistics, vehicles currently used for collection (refuse collection vehicle, cage vehicles etc.) and available capacity; emptying frequency of litter units and any existing RotG units; types of material collected by existing services (e.g. kerbside, recycling from flats above shops, bring and trade recycling); any existing contracts in place (in order to assess the impact of potential variations); and expansion potential and restrictions. 3.3 What are the options to consider? Figure 3 sets out a step-by-step decision making process. Each step is discussed within the sections that follow. page 13

14 WE WANT TO INTRODUCE ROTG OR IMPROVE EXISTING ROTG SERVICES What do we want to acheive? What s our objective? Points to consider: What are the options? Which materials? Unit design Waste composition Simplicity and convenience for public Meet targets (e.g. Carbon Targets or Landfill Directive)? Infrastructure Reduce waste to landfill? Location and siting of units Current contract Contamination Increase recycling? Storage of materials Please residents/staff Signage and communications Optimise existing services (value for money)? New or existing service Avoid confusion by having a single service Funding Financial return Partnership Address MRF requirements/deal with contamination (commingled collections) Figure 3 Decisions flowchart. page 14

15 3.4 How do you decide which materials to include in your RotG scheme? Site managers should bear in mind that users will expect to be able to dispose of four common waste materials: paper, drinks cans, plastic bottles and glass bottles. In some cases, separate collections for food waste may also be required. Decisions about which materials to recycle are closely linked to how much space is available on a site (to collect materials in separate units requires additional containers and so more space). It is also linked to the materials your waste management contractor can deal with. For example, does your contractor want paper kept separately from other materials, or are they happy with a commingled collection? Will you have the same system running throughout your site(s), or tailor the service for particular? A RotG unit located near a train station entrance, for example, might have a higher-than-normal paper composition due to the large volume of (often free) newspapers read by commuters. Another example is RotG units at airport security points which focus on capturing restricted items such as plastic bottles, containers and drinks cans. Other issues to consider include: what materials your reprocessing accept, the market for these materials, and what value they can bring you; the collection, treatment and disposal options available; the location of your organisation, how much litter is produced, local area footfall, and your corporate objectives; which materials are of the greatest interest to your organisation. The most common materials to collect on the go are paper, drinks cans, plastic bottles and glass bottles, as these are the materials most commonly found in street litter bins. Other materials to consider are cardboard, plastic packaging and glass. It is best to collect materials that have a value (such as paper, cans, and plastic) and which are found in high volumes in urban areas. You might also consider the materials you sell in any on-site catering to determine whether you offer glass, cardboard or plastic recycling. The different types of material you collect will influence the success of your RotG scheme. Whether you take a source-segregated or commingled approach will also have a key impact on both the volumes of material that can be collected and on the levels of contamination. Contamination can be a big issue (see Edinburgh case study below on contamination reduction). If you use a street cleaner or an on-site cleaner to manage the RotG units, you might ask them to monitor contamination. You could even ask them to litter pick the recyclables, although this may have an impact on contract. Case study Edinburgh Airport Edinburgh Airport has recently contracted Specialist Waste Recycling (SWR) to manage waste on-site. SWR is acting as a waste broker and is responsible for overseeing waste collections, invoicing and monthly reporting. Previously, no action was taken on-site to remove contamination. SWR on-site members of staff now help to determine if material is suitable for recycling and will remove large items of contamination. As a result, less waste is being placed in the residual compactor. The airport is now reviewing residual waste collection to see if the number of collections can be reduced, along with an associated reduction in. The biggest contamination issue has been found to be liquids from coffee cups as these can potentially contaminate all the material in a recycling sack. SWR is currently conducting a study to assess the level of contamination per bag collected from the recycling containers. page 15

16 There has been a year-on-year improvement in recycling performance at the airport - from a 41% recycling rate in 2010, to more than 65% (exceeding the 50% recycling target). A recycling target of 80% has been set for 2012, with the airport achieving around 67% recycling at the time of publication. See Appendix 2 for a more detailed version of this case study. What material is in waste currently collected on site? What materials can be bought/are sold on the site? What materials will visitors bring on site? What materials do we want to collect? What will our customers expect? It is important to know what is in a waste stream before tailoring a RotG collection service. Assessing which materials to collect might involve a waste composition analysis or a visual inspection to identify what materials are being collected locally: Find out what materials are produced on site; Analyse what is brought on site by visitors to the area what is sold within the area and what comes from retail outlets; Note the influence of fast-food retailers in contributing to an area s litter generation; Find out if a fast-food outlet provides an internal RotG collection or litter bins, as this will influence the local positioning of RotG. Some fast-food retailers provide branded litter bins outside their restaurants; and Look at what can be recycled elsewhere in your local area and what your current waste management contract will enable you to do do you need to agree a contract variation, or will your current contract cover the new collection/ treatment requirements and materials to service the new RotG units? What materials will our waste contractor accept? Figure 4 Which materials decision list. Do we have space for multiple units and separate storage of materials? 3.5 Choosing your unit design Once you ve addressed the decision list questions (Figure 4), you will be clear whether you should provide units to collect source-segregated or commingled materials. There is a wide variety of RotG unit types available from a range of manufacturers. Some include a split unit with one container for litter and one for recycling, while others focus on recycling with stand-alone units. Detailed guidance on RotG containers is available in Appendix 3. Broadly speaking, the RotG unit types fall into the categories detailed in Table 2 and displayed in Figure 5. page 16

17 Table 2 RotG unit categories Location Type Unit Type Materials Collected External use small units akin to typical onstreet litter units External large capacity units Single compartment unit Twin compartment unit Triple compartment unit Quadruple compartment unit Nodal systems Twin compartment wheeled unit housings Single compartment wheeled unit housing Single compartment used for the collection of recyclables (singly or commingled). Two compartments either for two recyclable streams, or one recyclable and one for residual waste (litter). Three compartments either for three recyclable streams, or two recyclable and one residual waste stream. Four compartments either for four recyclable streams, or three recyclable and one residual waste stream. Four 800-litre units that can be used for the collection of four recyclable streams, or three recyclable and one residual waste stream. Two compartments either for two recyclable streams, or alternatively, one recyclable and one residual waste stream. One compartment for recyclables. Internal use units Single compartment unit Single compartment unit for recyclables. Twin compartment unit Triple compartment unit Two compartments either for two recyclable streams, or one recyclable and one residual waste stream. Three compartments either for three recyclable streams, or two recyclable and one residual waste stream. page 17

18 Single compartment (commingled) unit used by Islington Council, located at a park and ride near a busy shopping area. Twin compartment (commingled) unit used by Glasgow City Council for the on-street collection of recyclables and litter. Nodal (source-segregated) unit used by East Lothian Council, based at Dunbar High Street. Twin compartment (source-segregated) wheeled unit housings, used by Caerphilly Council. Single compartment (source-segregated) RotG units for wheeled unit housings, used by Aberdeenshire Council. Figure 5 Examples of RotG units. Sources: Used with permission. Internal triple compartment (source-segregated) unit, used by Birmingham Airport Ltd. page 18

19 Please note the need to use consistent colour-coding throughout an area s RotG to ensure that local people are familiar with which receptacles to use for which waste stream. This will significantly reduce waste contamination levels and enable better levels of recycling. If larger units are suitable for your site, there are a number of options to consider, one of which is the nodal system (see Figure 5, Dunbar High Street and Figure 6 below). Here, a cluster of up to three units (nodes) is often attached in a circle with the apertures facing outwards, offering different material streams. The units come in a range of sizes. Larger units can reduce collection frequency (depending on footfall). They are commonly used by local authorities at events and other venues with sufficient space. The design and specification of the unit is a crucial factor to consider when introducing or expanding a RotG scheme. You should think about the visual aspect of the unit and whether it presents any issues relating to corporate image. You should also bear in mind all key considerations listed in Table 3. Table 3 Key considerations for unit design Design and specification Fit for purpose for chosen locations What to consider Does the unit provide the right service for the location, e.g. does it have the facility to collect paper at a transport hub? Will it be accessible to the members of the public using it? Is it in the best journey to site position? Will it be accessible to collection staff and vehicles? A Figure 6 Examples of nodal units. (A) Nodal unit in a South Ayrshire park. Source: Taylors, used with permission; (B) Rescape unit used by Glasgow City Council. Source: Glasgow CC, used with permission. B Type and range of materials collected Unit capacity Colour, size and shape Is the unit designed to collect everything we want it to collect? Is the unit big enough for the needs of the location? Does the capacity match the frequency of collection that we can provide (smaller units may need to be emptied more frequently)? What colours and design fit with your site? Do you have to follow corporate guidelines or branding? Is there a colour-coding scheme that indicates the type wastestream in use in the area that you need to comply with? For local authorities, what street-scene requirements are there? What size unit do you want to provide? Between litre, or do you have space to provide larger units (240 litre 1,100 litre or more)? What shape do you want the unit to be? Regular (box shaped), contoured, stylish, single or multiple units etc? page 19

20 Table 3 continued Design and specification Aperture(s) and on-unit signage Make and model of the unit (look and feel) Special requirements What to consider What materials are you going to collect? What size and shape of aperture will encourage recycling and discourage unwanted items? (For example, a slit will encourage the recycling of paper and will discourage users to insert round items such as drinks cans and bottles. A round hole will encourage users to recycle drinks cans and bottles.) Will the unit fit within the local surroundings? How easy will it be to obtain replacements or maintain the unit? How expensive is the unit and what will be the cost of replacement units or keys? (Keys are used to gain access to the storage container within the unit and are used by staff when emptying and cleaning). How easy are they to open and to clean? Are there any special requirements that you need to consider (e.g. bomb-proofing, anti-graffiti, vermin control, infection control, does the unit need to be rust proof for beside the sea or be designed to stop access by seagulls)? Are there any add-ons such as cigarette plates or notice boards? Do the units need to be mobile if they are being used internally or at events? (Planning permission will be required if the are fixed; for other there may still be some requirement for fixing plates and site preparation.) 3.6 The reverse vending option A RotG option that is particularly suitable for high footfall areas is reverse vending. Reverse vending machines (see example in Figure 7) allow recyclable material, such as a can or plastic bottle, to be placed into a recycling container via an external aperture. These machines can be pre-programmed to recognise and accept certain materials (e.g. cans, plastic bottles, glass bottles) for recycling. Users are offered an incentive such as a printed voucher or token. Reverse vending equipment varies in size and capability. In some cases, material can be sorted by the vending unit into separate streams. Some machines scan, identify, sort, count, then crush and compact the recycled items to increase storage capacity. This reduces emptying frequency and maximises material density for onward transport. Reverse vending technology allows more waste material to be collected than conventional recycling units. The machines can also carry prominent branding, corporate logos, and advertising or even television screens playing videos with sound. While they can constitute a high capital cost compared to other RotG systems, they can capture high volumes of used containers. Zero Waste Scotland may be able to provide financial support for reverse vending systems. Figure 7 Keele University reverse vending unit. Source: Keele University, used with permission. page 20

21 3.7 Location and siting considerations When planning where to locate RotG units, you should consider the key aspects detailed in Table 4 below. Table 4 Key considerations for location and siting Access Footfall Health and safety Location of residual waste units Units must not block access for disabled people or those with visual impairment on the public highway. Units should not cover any inspection chambers or electricity boxes. Units should be accessible for the public and collection staff. Members of the public, including children, should not be able to open or get into the units. Units should be placed where there is high footfall for maximum impact and use. To understand this you should: look at either actual or projected visitor numbers to your site (if available); review sales figures for on-site catering ; speak to operational staff to gain insight; conduct an operational walk at different times and days of the week to understand visitor flow through the site (entrance and exit points, catering, seating areas/waiting rooms, car parks and bathroom ); and observe how any current on-site RotG units or litter bins are used. See Section 3.8 If you are not using a dual litter and recycling unit, it would be advisable to locate a litter unit next to, or within the vicinity of, the recycling unit, to help prevent high contamination levels. Planning and permitting Space Ensure that units fit with the visual amenity and corporate image/identity of the surroundings. You might need to obtain planning permission to install some units along a public pathway which can be a lengthy process. Bear this in mind and factor into your planning timescales for installation. Semi-fixed, although they don t require planning permission, will need to go through operational approval as they may require a fixing plate. Units must not be squeezed into a small space, but must allow enough room for people to use them freely and must not obstruct any public pathways. Site specific requirements are discussed in Chapter Security and Health & Safety matters Each site is unique and will have its own opportunities and restrictions in terms of RotG system security, and health and safety (H&S). H&S is an important aspect to consider in the development and implementation of RotG. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, all organisations must carry out a risk assessment to identify and minimise the risks to employees or those engaged in the collection of materials from RotG. The risk assessment should also encompass the potential impact of the scheme on members of the public. Guidance on conducting risk assessments is available from the Health and Safety (HSE) website. page 21

22 The two major risks associated with RotG relate to the use of vehicles and the manual handling of waste/recycling containers. You can find further information on these in the following guidance documents: Waste and recycling vehicles in street collection provides guidance on H&S issues around the use of vehicles in on-street waste and recycling collections. Much of this guidance will also be relevant to other where the collection team is in close proximity to visitors, e.g. tourist attractions. Manual handling in kerbside collection and sorting of recyclables provides guidance on reducing the risks associated with manual handling, including staff training, and determining the appropriate collection frequency. Safe waste and recycling collection services provides guidance from the Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) Forum and Health and Safety on the safe collection of waste and recycling. Although this is focussed on kerbside collections, the recommendations are relevant to other types of services including RotG. In addition to unit selection, location and servicing, other key Health & Safety considerations include: Does the unit have any sharp edges? Is there potential for any sharp items to fall out of the unit? (The use of brushes on apertures can minimise this.) Is there potential for users to access the units to remove material, with a risk of injury from sharp objects such as broken bottles? (The type and size of aperture selected can be used to minimise this, e.g. circular aperture for bottles, slot for paper lids can also be locked.) Is there potential for the unit to be moved by the public? (The use of fixed units and locking plates can limit this, but it needs to be considered particularly for the provision of units at events.) Does the unit design allow easy access to the service for disabled or young users? For example, is the aperture too high to prevent usage by children or those in wheelchairs? Is there space for the public/visitors to move freely around the unit, i.e. is the space around the unit too large that the unit causes an obstruction on a pathway? Is there sufficient space available to safely enable collection staff to service the unit? Is there sufficient space available to ensure that the unit can be cleaned and maintained regularly? Does the unit block access to any emergency exits? Table 5 sets out the key H&S requirements to complete before rolling out RotG, as well as recommended actions. Table 5 Key health and safety issues Aspect/ Issue Has a risk assessment been completed for the RotG service? Does the risk assessment consider the aspects outlined in this chapter? Have standard operating procedures or method statements been prepared, based on the findings of the risk assessment? What to do Consult HSE guidance on conducting risk assessments Consult with your organisations H&S officer and any operational staff for their input into the risk assessment. If no standard operating procedures or method statements are in place, draft a simple procedure or flowchart outlining the steps to be taken to conduct activities safely. An audit template and timetable should also be developed to regularly review site operations and assess compliance with procedures. The results of the audit should be fed back to staff, and the risk assessment and procedures updated if appropriate. page 22

23 3.9 Airports At some airports, operators provide specific advice relating to units in airport environments, covering requirements for airside, not landside, recycling. BAA, for example, provides such information Hospitals Within hospitals, infection control is essential and will influence the type and location of unit selected. This means it is important to liaise with the hospital s infection control team, management team and cleaning staff, as well as H&S officers. Usually RotG units will be confined to non-clinical areas such as restaurants and cafés, entrances, exits and car parks/transport hubs and waiting areas. Key considerations include: Will units installed within waiting areas need to be of a specific design or type to meet local infection control or fire safety requirements? Will all units need to be lightweight and mobile due to cleaning requirements? What additional signage may be required? Are there any locations where units cannot be installed due to fire safety requirements? Further guidance on best practice can be found in the Safe Management of Healthcare Waste guidance manual Reducing the risk of bomb threats If your organisation perceives terrorism as a risk, you may wish to consider additional security requirements as part of your RotG service. For example, you could opt for units that are bomb proof (which may result in additional cost per unit) or transparent, such as those displayed in Figure 8, so that suspicious packages can be easily identified. Consult with your in-house security team and unit manufactures to determine your options. Figure 8 Bromley train station RotG units. Source: Recycle Zone report 3 Key points Carry out a situation analysis. Consider all the options including: what materials to target; waste composition the nature of the waste you are currently collecting at your site(s); unit design; infrastructure; health & safety; and location and siting. 3 page 23

24 4.0 Overview Each site is unique and has its own opportunities and restrictions in terms of the type of RotG system operated. This chapter provides an overview of the options available to organisations, and highlights the key points to consider when planning RotG systems. The following site types are considered: event locations (e.g. commercial, cultural and sporting); hospitals consumer-facing areas only (e.g. restaurants, waiting areas and car parks); leisure attractions/venues (e.g. sporting arenas, theme parks, conference, academic establishments); on street (e.g. city centres, market towns and other public spaces); shopping centres; and transport hubs (e.g. airports, ferry ports, motorway services, railway stations). For temporary, there can be scope in terms of the choice of system, but there may be greater operational constraints due to space or other on-site restrictions. A key consideration is what type of RotG units to use and where to source them from. Options available include leasing, hiring or purchase. Purchase can be preferable if you can use the units after the event and you have a storage facility. Leasing or hiring may be available from a local authority, charity or waste management contractor, and may be available as a stand-alone service, or part of a larger package including the emptying of units and provision of advice. For temporary events, it may be best to use standard wheeled units with specific event covers (see Cylch case study below). Empty barrels are also an option. Organisers may want to specify the look and feel of units to match the theme of their event. For example, for The Ryder Cup golf tournament a Green Drive brand was developed to promote RotG. As part of the scheme, on-site catering used biodegradable food packaging that could be recycled with food waste generated on site (Figure 9). 4.1 RotG at commercial, cultural and sporting events It is essential to plan a system that is convenient and easy to use for the public, and simple for organisers to operate. Your choice of system for an event s location will depend upon a number of factors, most importantly whether the site is fixed (e.g. there is infrastructure already in place) or temporary (e.g. all infrastructure needs to be taken to the site for the event). For fixed, the choice of RotG units and materials at an event may be restricted to those already in place. However, some large venues that host events can tailor the units used and materials collected to the specifications of individual customers. Figure 9 RotG scheme at the Ryder Cup (A) Green Drive brand; (B) Biodegradable food packaging. Source: AEA, used with permission. page 24

25 Additionally, you might want to provide pre-event guidance to inform attendees what is or isn t allowed on site and to ensure all staff and stallholders receive appropriate training and information. Are staff using the correct bags provided? Are they clear about which recycling units to use and what your recycling expectations are? You should also make sure all litter pickers are collecting recycling in one bag and residual waste in another. Case study Clych events recycling Working in partnership with event organisers, local authorities and community sector partners, Cylch leases recycling units and branded signage tarpaulins to national and community events around Wales to promote RotG. Cylch works with the event organisers during the planning phase of the event to understand their aims and provide advice on the number of units required, where they should be located and what materials should be collected on site. The RotG units used are 240 litre wheeled units. Specially printed tarpaulins are available which cover the units and use Recycle for Wales iconography with bilingual text. Both the RotG units and tarpaulins are colour-coded, washable and are cleaned prior to each event. See Appendix 2 for a more detailed version of this case study. Example of RotG units used by Cylch at events Further guidance for recycling at events is available from: WRAP Event Resource Management Plan tool; and Waste Awareness Wales Events Recycling You need to ensure that you have enough capacity on site, but also that key locations are serviced by RotG units. Such locations might include: Pedestrian entrances / exits; Approaches to exits or car parks if within the same site every 50 metres and on both sides, dependent on the width of the pedestrian route; Car parks and by pedestrian refuge areas; Key pedestrian intersections; Every 50 metres along internal pedestrian routes (but only if other units are not provided locally); Adjacent to all food/snacks outlets, dependent on their scale and service; Around any attractions likely to generate queues rides, ticket booths, etc.; In any adjacent children s play areas, picnic areas and overflow car parks; and Outside any toilet. If an event carries on beyond daylight hours, units should be located in well-lit areas. 4.2 Hospitals (particularly restaurants, waiting areas and car parks) Healthcare have to manage multiple waste streams and users, including patients, staff and visitors. RotG units can be located in consumer-facing (nonclinical) areas such as on-site food outlets, entrance areas, shopping areas, site grounds, public transport interfaces and visitor waiting. When considering site location and unit type, it is important to liaise with a wide range of stakeholders including the hospital s infection control team, management team, providers of cleaning and maintenance services and H&S/fire safety officer(s). Issues include: page 25

26 If RotG units are installed, will an additional cost for emptying be incurred for onsite collection, and will a change to service level agreements be required? Are there any locations where units cannot be installed due to fire safety requirements? Will units installed within waiting areas need to be of a specific design or type to meet local infection control requirements? Will all units need to be lightweight and mobile due to cleaning requirements? What additional signage may be required? Remember, healthcare contain large amounts of information/posters/signage, so consider how additional signage units can be made clear and eye-catching. What size units are required? This may differ according to location and emptying frequencies. Hospitals have been a target sector for the provision of RotG in Recycle Zones (see case study below). Figure 10 provides an example of hospital-based RotG. Case study Coca-Cola s Recycle Zone (RZ) Coca-Cola s Recycle Zone (RZ) initiative was a three-year project that looked to establish recycling schemes in on-the-go environments where a recycling scheme hadn t previously existed. Led and principally funded by Coca-Cola Enterprises Limited, with additional investment from the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the primary focus of the scheme in terms of materials collected was to gather soft drinks packaging, namely plastic bottles and beverage cans. In a number of implementations, the scheme was widened to incorporate the collection of paper and cardboard. Focusing on four key locations including shopping centres, transport hubs, leisure attractions and hospitals, the intention for the project was to develop at least 80 zones over the three-year lifespan of the programme. As the project developed and gathered momentum, further locations were explored including academic establishments, universities and colleges and also stand-alone events. By the end of the project, a total of 130 zones were operational, collecting over 320 tonnes of soft drinks plastic bottles and cans. Figure 10 RotG units in the entrance to St John s hospital, NHS Lothian. Source: AEA, used with permission. 4.3 Leisure attractions and venues (sporting arenas, theme parks, academic establishments etc.) Any RotG units need to be of sufficient capacity to balance the demands of peak footfall with emptying capacity. Often, the emptying of units is not possible during peak periods due to access issues, or potential noise disturbance. In these cases, units will need to cope with fluctuations in the levels of material deposited. When providing RotG at a leisure attraction or venue, consider the materials arising from the on-site catering as well as items visitors typically consume on-site and which will generate waste for disposal. See Figures for examples of RotG units provided at leisure. page 26

27 Figure 11 Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, RotG units. Source: RGBE, used with permission. Figure 13 Alton Towers Theme Park, RotG units. Source: Recycle Zone report. 4.4 On-street RotG (city centres, market towns etc) In addition to those items in Table 4, consider the following points for on-street RotG : Figure 12 Nevis Range near Fort William, RotG units. Source: Nevis Range, used with permission. Units are located in areas of high footfall. Street-scene requirements are noted (design of unit, distance from other utilities etc.) Do the units fit in with the local area? Security issues are noted bomb-proof units may be required if units are located close to high-profile buildings or transport hubs. The design and branding of the units should be recognisable to all users and not just local residents. For example, it may be confusing for visitors to the area if local kerbside recycling colour-coding is used without appropriate guidance. page 27

28 Materials: what materials will be collected? There may be scope to increase the numbers of materials collected on-site. Textiles, printer cartridges and batteries are some of the items you could consider (see particularly the left hand image in the case study for Crossgates Shopping Centre, Leeds). See Figure 15 for an example of RotG shopping centre units, and also the Every Can Counts shopping centre case study. Case study Crossgates Shopping Centre Figure 14 RotG nodal units in Perth. Source: Perth & Kinross Council, used with permission. 4.5 Shopping centres In addition to those items listed in Table 4, the following points should be considered for shopping centres installing RotG : Security: are transparent or bomb-proof units required? Location: could units be located close to catering, near entrance and exit points or within car park areas? Many shopping centres have larger units located within car park areas so visitors can drop off their recycling when they go shopping. These are often referred to as bring, with units provided by the local authority or shopping centre. Branding: RotG units and litter units within shopping centres are often used for advertising. Will RotG signage be prominent? If advertising or corporate branding is to be used, it is important it does not obscure signage which indicates what materials are accepted and where they should be placed. If clear instructions aren t visible, it may lead to contamination of recyclable materials. The Crossgates Shopping Centre in Leeds provides a number of different RotG units. Commingled recycling and residual waste RotG units are placed next to seating areas. A selection of units collecting mixed recyclables, printer cartridges and batteries have been placed next to a car park pay station to capture materials as visitors leave. Crossgates maintains the branded RotG units, which also have the shopping centre s logo displayed on them. The cartridge unit is provided by a local store (Cartridge World), and the battery unit by a producer compliance scheme (Battery Back). RotG units used in Crossgates Shopping Centre in Leeds page 28

29 4.6 Transport hubs (airports, railway stations, motorway services, ports and ferries etc.) In addition to those items listed in Table 4, the following points should be considered for transport hubs installing RotG : Figure 15 Trafford Shopping Centre, Manchester. Source: Recycle Zone report. Case study Every can counts programme Security: are bomb-proof units required, or transparent units so that any unwanted materials can be easily identified? See Section 3.11 for more information. Location: could units be located close to catering, near entrance and exit points or within car park areas? Material choice: what sorts of materials arise at a transport hub (either from onsite catering or visitors)? See Figures 16 and 17 for examples of RotG units at transport hubs. The Every Can Counts programme is a partnership between drink can manufacturers/fillers and the metal packaging recycling industry. It aims to help people recycle drinks cans when they are at work, university or out shopping, at the beach, or attending festivals and events. The programme, managed by Alupro, provides organisations with containers for can collection and is designed to sit alone or alongside existing RotG schemes. In addition, the campaign provides an all-encompassing communications programme, with materials to set up and promote Every Can Counts. Willow Place and Corby Town Centre, which receives around 7 million visitors each year, was the first UK shopping centre to introduce Every Can Counts. All 174 stores and restaurants within the Land Securities-owned site have Every Can Counts recycling boxes and promotional materials for staff and shoppers. In addition, four branded can crushers are positioned in high footfall areas around the town. See Appendix 2 for a more detailed version of this case study. Figure 16 Moto Toddington (motorway services) RotG unit in Bedfordshire. Source: Recycle Zone report. page 29

30 Table 6 below provides the proportion of materials deposited within RotG units as opposed to litter bins, for a range of and scheme types. The table also identifies whether the material collected includes glass and paper for comparative purposes, due to the weight of these materials. For example, if you were looking at implementing a commingled scheme collecting both glass and paper at an on-street site, the RotG units would need to have capacity for 45-65% of the current amount of residual waste collected. This example would equate to kg. Table 6 Suggested capacity requirements for a range of RotG scheme types Site type Collection type Glass Paper Estimated % material collected with RotG Figure 17 RotG units, Bargoed and Newbridge train stations, Caerphilly. Source: AEA, used with permission. 4.7 What capacity does your RotG scheme need? Understanding your required capacity is key to assessing RotG scheme options. So identify the amount of waste you currently collect in the relevant area. This information may be available from your waste management contractor. Alternatively, you could use the volume of material collected to estimate the weight of material using standard conversion factors. For example, if you have litre residual waste units in the area, which are all full on collection, the total volume of waste collected would be 1600 litres (20 80 litres 100% fill rate). The standard conversion factor for mixed domestic type waste (EWC code ) is 0.21 kg/m 3, hence the estimated weight of residual waste would be 336kg ( ) pdf On-street Commingled Y Y N Y Dual stream Y Y 93 (large unit) Leisure Commingled Y N Dual stream Y Y 87 (large unit) Source-segregated Y N N Y 86 (large unit) Transport Dual stream N Y 63 Source-segregated Y Y (large unit) N Y 60 Other Commingled Y Y 35 Source-segregated Y N 60 page 30

31 As a rule of thumb, if you are introducing a RotG scheme with standard size units of between approximately 120 and 240 litres, you should provide capacity for around 60% of the material you are currently collecting within your residual waste (litter) per site. The table shows that the large units (typically over 240 litres) perform particularly well. This is because they are often used as bring for people making dedicated trips to deposit their materials for recycling. A small amount of residual waste capacity is provided at these types of. If you are introducing RotG to a site, you should also consider the reduced demand for residual waste bins. However, this may take some time to kick in, so you may want to consider a staged approach to removing residual waste bins. Key points Consider any specific restrictions for your site during planning; these could include location, frequency of collection, materials collected and signage etc. Work with operational staff to understand the current system and what impacts any proposed changes will have. Calculate what capacity of RotG you need to provide for your site and be flexible at first about what residual waste capacity you provide. Zero Waste Scotland can provide further guidance and assistance in determining the capacity of RotG. page 31

32 5.0 Overview This chapter outlines good practice in the procurement of measures to service, clean and maintain RotG. It provides an overview of what you need to consider once you have decided on scheme type, unit numbers and locations. 5.1 Collection It is important to understand and analyse your current when researching a RotG collection service. If you plan to expand an existing service, for example by adding more RotG units or expanding the service to a new area, can your current collection method be adapted to incorporate additional units, or will you need new collection contracts? It might not be a issue but a resource one in which case, do you have the staff/collection crews/vehicles to include RotG and to deal with potentially variable collection frequencies? Similarly, if you re setting up a new system, will your current be suitable and easily adapted, or will you need to find a different solution? If your organisation will be providing the service in-house (using your own staff), you will need to consider: Resource requirements will additional staff be required? Costs how much will it cost to provide the service, and will any income be available from the material collected (see Chapter 7 for guidance)? Will you require any changes to internal contracts such as maintenance and cleansing? (Local authorities might consider contracts between waste management services and street scene services) Is there capacity for the new system to be incorporated into an existing service; for example can the current cleaning service cope with additional tasks and capacity requirements? (Local authorities should consider whether the service could be delivered by street cleansing teams, collection rounds for flats above shops, bring-centre or trade recycling rounds) How frequently will units require emptying and will this need a change in shift pattern? The first step in the process is to review any current contracts for: Waste and recycling collections; Facilities management: Site maintenance; Site cleansing; Facilities management services including emptying units and units; Site infrastructure: Storage; Restrictions placed on changes to current infrastructure, for example, fittings and fixtures; Employee contracts: Changes to job description; and Training. 5.2 Service contracts issues to consider Varying an existing contract (service level agreements) You may be able to change the service requirements agreed in writing at the start of a contract to incorporate servicing of new or expanding RotG. Be sure to build in annual reviews to make the re-negotiation process easier and the contract more flexible. Variations to service can be a costly addition to an existing contract, so consider what compromises can be made. If you re introducing new RotG units, can you remove or replace some existing residual waste units? page 32

33 5.2.2 Procuring a new service The best type of contract will be one that provides a value-for-money service which ensures you meet legal requirements and maximises environmental performance. We would recommend that you discuss procurement requirements with your inhouse team to understand what your organisation s procedures are. Table 7 Key points to consider when procuring a new service or renegotiating an existing service Objectives Scope What objectives do you have for the service? How will bidders demonstrate they can meet these objectives? (Think about your criteria for the contract.) Do you want your contractor to continually improve the efficiency and environmental performance of your premises? Be aware that enhanced performance may incur additional. The Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012 will require businesses to comply with a new range of legal requirements from the end of Is this factored into your objectives? What s the scope of the service you want to procure, and what services do you have available in-house? Recycling collection only? Waste and recycling collection? Service (emptying), maintenance and cleansing of units? Provision of the units and any bags to line them? Provision of signage and associated communications material? You may be able to make things easier by procuring services together. This, however, may not provide you with the value for money that you need. Speak to contractors about what they could provide. Scope (continued) Cost Length of contract Monitoring Depending on with contractors, baling and bulking material onsite or at a transfer station may attract a better price and help generate revenue. But remember that some contractors prefer to receive loose material so that it can be sorted and baled to market standards. Are there any additional requirements that need to be included in terms of security for example, access to the site and units? What will give you value for money, in the context of legal requirements on handling and management of waste and recycling? The number of RotG may increase or decrease over the contract term. You might decide to close poorly-performing, and you may decide to replace some existing residual waste units with RotG units. The cost of collecting from additional will be expected to reflect the of of a similar geographical location and waste arisings. If are removed, will the be reduced according to the contract rates on a per site basis? Will you be looking for a pay-by-weight of material collected arrangement, or a pay-by-lift approach? If your site has large units (shopping centre car park, for example) you may be able to gain better value for your recyclables due to the volume of material collected. How long does the contract need to be in place? Will you want the flexibility to arrange an extension? What flexibility will be incorporated? Will there be regular review points? How will your objectives be measured and performance monitored? Consider how you want the contractor to provide information regarding the operation of the service to help you monitor performance. How will the contractor provide a system for data collection by recording and monitoring weight, or volume of material collected from RotG units? page 33

34 5.2.3 Liaising with a landlord and other tenants (e.g. shopping centres) Working in partnership with other organisations to procure services can improve economies of scale. Some landlords have central waste management agreements in place with tenants paying a small fee to use shared. This is usually more prevalent in airports or shopping centres where retail units are clustered together. By contrast, high street shops and retail outlets will liaise directly with waste disposal companies to procure individual waste disposal and recycling contracts. 5.3 Developing your specification Once you have decided that you need to procure a service, you need to develop a specification. A specification is a detailed guide that explains exactly what you require, how the service should be delivered, and what you will provide as part of that service. Consider who will perform the following services and how frequently they should be undertaken: Cleansing; Emptying; Maintenance; Promotion; Purchase; and Storage Unit emptying frequency Location, footfall, and how the units are used will affect how frequently units require emptying. Some may be emptied on a daily basis (or more frequently for events), and others less frequently. For example, Westminster City Council empties its RotG units throughout the day as its are very busy. Most airports and railway stations also empty their units very frequently as a security measure. Simple calculations can be done to assess unit capacity and potential use by utilising footfall data and/or sales data. Knowing how many drinks are sold in plastic bottles or cans at your site will help you understand the potential for capturing material for recycling. RotG that are located in eating areas where high volumes of single-use beverages are consumed may require emptying more than once per day. Some units are also designed to send alerts remotely when they are full and require emptying. This can be particularly useful if RotG units are far away from usual collection rounds. You can find out more about calculating unit capacity in Section Responsibility for emptying units The responsibility for emptying a unit will depend on your site locations. In a shopping centre, for example, agreements would need to be made with cleaners or caretakers, employed directly or contracted by the centre management, to empty general waste and recycling units. For RotG units on the high street or in community areas, the local authority will be responsible for emptying and maintenance. For an event, you may need a separate contractor to perform this service. For airports and other transport hubs and hospitals, there may be specific requirements regarding who can empty the RotG units and enter storage areas Obtaining data from each unit To measure the success of your scheme, it will be important to keep track of the weight of material collected. Sometimes, contractors make collections as part of a standard collection round. This can mean that the weight of waste and recycling collected at each location cannot be separated. Make sure you stipulate ly that staff weigh material collected and keep a regular record of weights. This may cost you more but will provide valuable performance data. Even just a simple sheet that records the number and fullness of bags collected from each location can help you identify if changes need to be made. This will enable you to identify patterns and seasonal trends. For example, Glasgow City Council collection crews complete a log sheet estimating fullness for each unit they empty. They have a rough and ready method for estimating tonnage based on the size of the container. This system allows them to monitor performance and make changes to underperforming. page 34

35 Key points Make sure you analyse your before planning a service. What objectives do you have for the RotG service? How can your existing service be adapted to incorporate RotG? Carry out annual contract reviews to enable greater contract flexibility What is the associated cost? Consider how best to get value for money in the context of legal requirements Consider what you would like to provide and who should deliver the individual elements. Talk to the key contractors and see what is potentially available. page 35

36 6.0 RotG Overview This chapter provides guidance on how to break down barriers to public recycling on the go. It also considers how communications can be used to encourage public use of RotG units in Scotland. In November 2011, WRAP commissioned two studies on RotG one to look at public attitudes and behaviours and the other to analyse waste composition i.e. what is/isn t being recycled. This chapter outlines the results and insights gained from the research. It also discusses new communications templates created specifically in Scotland and shows you how to communicate well so that the public understand and use RotG. 6.1 Recent WRAP research results WRAP s research results showed that some demographic groups were less likely than others to recycle when away from home. Typically, respondents between the ages of 16 and 34, and those in the ACORN 5 Urban Prosperity category, were less likely to claim to recycle away from home. The findings suggest that those between 16 and 34 were less likely to recycle if it required more effort, while some older people said that they would be prepared to carry waste to a recycling container or carry it home if needed. There is some evidence to suggest that the presence of children can positively impact RotG behaviours (i.e. encourage parents to recycle) and that women are more likely than men to sort their recyclable waste correctly. The ACORN Urban Prosperity category also recorded a lower-than-average score in terms of correctly sorting their waste. Those visiting the site on a weekly basis were more likely to have sorted their waste correctly, compared to monthly or first-time visitors. These findings emphasise the importance of ensuring your RotG scheme is easy to use, particularly for first-timer users. It is also important to think about how to encourage those groups that are more reluctant to recycle (16-34 year olds). The study also suggests that respondents were more likely to accurately recognise the target materials where the following were all accepted: paper, card, plastic bottles, cans and glass. This means you might want to consider providing for all these materials where possible, in addition to carrying clear information about the target materials on the RotG unit. 6.2 Barriers to RotG The research identified several key barriers to recycling on the go. These are summarised in Table 8. 5 ACORN is a geodemographic segmentation of the UK s population which segments small neighbourhoods, postcodes, or consumer households into 5 categories, 17 groups and 56 types. The 5 categories are: Wealthy Achievers, Urban Prosperity, Comfortably Off, Moderate Means, and Hard Pressed. The Urban Prosperity category refers to well educated and mostly prosperous people living in major towns and cities; it also includes well educated but slightly less affluent individuals, such as students and graduates in their first jobs. They have a cosmopolitan outlook and enjoy their urban lifestyle. page 36

37 Table 8 Summary of barriers at different Site type General Events Hospitals Barriers Perceived lack of away from home; the assumption that inadequate provisions means people do not go looking for recycling. Absence of clear signage. Even when there are recycling available, the public is not always aware of them (this is particularly true at transport hubs and events, compared to on-street environments). The perceived inconvenience of RotG, with users unprepared (or unable, due to time pressures) to go out of their way to recycle their waste. Users are likely to dispose of material in the closest bin/unit rather than specifically seeking out recycling. Volume of people attending large events means that users believe that they do not have time to sort their waste, fight against the crowd or leave their position during an event to look for a recycling container. Event attendees may assume that staff are employed to collect waste, therefore they do not have to dispose of items themselves. More relaxed mind-set at events, particularly where alcohol is consumed less likely to worry about recycling. Inadequate training and information for stallholders and staff leads to incorrect usage of RotG units and bags being used and fewer items being recycled. As for general. Site type Leisure/venues/ academic On-street/ public parks Shopping centres Transport hubs Barriers As for general. Aesthetics and the need to comply with corporate style or organisational focus As for general. Absence of clear signage. Inconsistent signage and colour. As for general. Aesthetics and compliance with corporate style. As for general. Time pressures on users when passing through the site catching buses, planes, trains, etc. People seem to assume that recycling will not be provided due to security concerns and so don t look out for them. 6.3 The factors that enable an effective RotG scheme In order to maximise uptake of RotG, you need to think about how you can break down these barriers to engagement. Such efforts might include ensuring you provide clear and consistent signage, and making recycling on the go as easy as possible to tackle the inconvenience factor. Key points to consider include: Where and how far apart you position your RotG units. Where you position your waste bins in relation to your RotG units. The type and size of RotG unit you use. How you make your collections. Which materials you collect. page 37

38 What type of aperture your units have. What colour your units are. The size and positioning of your signage upon approach and at unit, for example, can help to maximise visibility (see 6.4.8). How you brand your signage and other communications. Whether or not you pursue corporate sponsorship for your units; if so, think about how you place your sponsor s logo in relation to the RotG branding. If it s too big, it may eclipse your unit branding also, is it relevant to the waste streams you re trying to capture? Figure 18 Examples of integral/co-located units. (A) Recycling unit with integral litter bin used in Glasgow. Source: Glasgow City Council, used with permission; (B) RotG co-located with a litter bin at Barry Island, Vale of Glamorgan. Source: AEA, used with permission Positioning your RotG units Location is important to how much a unit gets used. Three key things to consider are: A Assess the natural journey through the site and decide where users will best be able to see the units. For example, what is the most direct route visitors are likely to make through a site and where do the units need to be to capture their attention? Locate units in areas of highest footfall, where most waste is likely to occur - people are often not prepared to walk far to recycle. Use high-profile areas locating units near transport, such as train stations and bus stops can work well. You might think about consulting with potential service users (e.g. local residents, site users, local communities) when identifying suitable locations units Residual waste provision Ease of use is essential. Research shows that the public are more likely to use a recycling unit correctly when it is located next to a residual waste (i.e. litter) bin. This also reduces the likelihood of contamination as the public are less likely to put non-recyclable material into the recycling units. This could be two separate units for residual waste and recyclables located together, or units with an integral residual waste compartment. Some examples of co-located and integral, and standalone, are shown in Figures 18 and 19 below. B page 38

39 6.3.4 Types of materials to be collected When units at the same site collect different materials or use different colour-coding schemes, users become confused. So be as consistent as possible. Ideally the same containers should be used for the same materials across a whole area. If users of your site are likely to be local, tying in RotG with what they recycle in their household collections makes sense (e.g. if paper is collected in a blue box at the households locally, try and make that consistent with RotG unit colours). However, this will have no relevance for visitors to the area and it will be important to follow the signage guidance provided within this document to ensure consistency throughout Scotland. If you have a high level of visitors, then you need to take their requirements into account when designing your scheme. In terms of signage it is advisable to follow Recycle for Scotland colour streams, as they are widely used on a national level allowing consistency and easy recognition. Figure 19 Example of stand-alone RotG unit. Single compartment unit used by Islington Council with no residual waste unit in the immediate vicinity. Source: Islington Council, used with permission Collection systems When it comes to collecting materials, simplicity is key. There are different ways in which you can collect your waste (source-segregated, dual stream or commingled). The research by WRAP shows no particular system is preferable, so your choice depends upon the waste generated at your and whether your local reprocessors can handle the material you collect. When selecting your collection system, consider if users have the time and inclination to sort their waste into more than one category. This may be more of an issue at events where there can be heavy flows of people. It will also be an issue at transport hubs where users may be moving rapidly through the site. From the research, it is clear that users expect core materials namely cans, glass, paper and plastic bottles to be collected. If you do not provide for these materials, users are likely to place them in the recycling units anyway which can lead to contamination. So, you need to meet site user expectations by collecting at least all four materials. Over time this may change, as it becomes the norm to recycle more materials, e.g. food, at household level; but initially at least, including the four core materials is essential Aperture size and type Where possible, use larger apertures on your units, as users prefer not to come into contact with the unit itself when disposing of material. For the same reason, you should avoid using lids. There are a number of different shaped aperture options depending on which materials you collect, as shown in the images in Figure 20. You should think about preference for cleanliness when considering aperture and unit design. page 39

40 6.3.6 Colour of units To increase visibility, use colour across the whole of a unit (rather than just a coloured aperture) as this will help to distinguish recycling from residual waste bins and waste streams from one another. You should also consider transparent units, as people like to see what materials to deposit, although people can be put off if transparent material becomes dirty or starts to look unattractive (the use of liners can solve this problem). A B Unit type and size In general the public prefer bigger units as their larger size enables clearer information to be displayed. Users are also confused when small units are deployed in locations where lots of materials are collected for recycling. So, where possible, consider using larger units to encourage public uptake. Please see Chapter 3 for further guidance on unit type and size, and/or refer to the WRAP Container in Appendix Communications Good communications can enhance the success of your RotG scheme. So provide concise and helpful information. Here are some core guidelines and templates to help get you started. C Figure 20 Range of aperture types available units. (A) City of London RotG unit aperture for bottles, cans and paper. Source: City of London council, used with permission; (B) Southend-on-Sea RotG unit aperture for bottles and cans. Source: AEA, used with permission; (C) Birmingham Airport Ltd RotG units three apertures used for paper, residual waste, and plastic bottles and cans. Source: AEA, used with permission; (D) Elmbridge Borough Council RotG unit in Walton on Thames, aperture for paper, cans and bottles. Source: Elmbridge BC, used with permission. D Target audience When developing your RotG communications, there are four main audience groups to consider: Consumers/the public the main focus of your communications. External groups such as the media, community groups, other local authorities. Specific subgroups community groups, cultural groups, potential organisations to help communicate your messages, such as caretakers, landlords and housing associations. page 40

41 Staff your own staff operating the RotG service, senior officers, elected members, other staff who need to know about your communications plan. Consider your staff as an audience as they will be front-line in delivering this for your organisation. Procedure and messages need to be clear and easily understood by all. Be clear about the target audience for your communications and keep them as the focus of your effort at all stages. This is important, because your audiences must be at the heart of your thinking about your messaging, overall strategy, communication methods and activities. Check if your organisation already has a communications plan as it may be possible to tailor existing messaging and approaches. For guidance on developing a comprehensive communications campaign, including understanding your audience, download Improving Recycling Through Effective Communications Developing strategies and methods In order to ensure your communications are effective, select the most appropriate methods to raise awareness of where people can recycle on your site. The key to a successful RotG scheme is choosing which communication methods to use and where to use them. Consider any existing communications strategy and whether there are any existing methods that could be modified to include RotG templates for Scotland. Examine your budget and consider which mix of existing and new materials will be the most effective. The main objective of the activity is to overcome the barriers to RotG and encouraging consumers to recycle more materials, more often when away from home Choosing effective communication methods (channels) No single activity will be as effective in isolation as a combination of channels. However, budget and time will dictate the scale of your programme. Your individual promotional activities will also be dictated by the location and number of the RotG units you have, the service you offer and how people interact with your organisation. Some communication methods are better for reaching people across a wide area (broad-brush methods), while others are more effective if used in small, discrete areas (targeted methods). Some examples of effective communication methods: TV monitors are good for targeting people in large spaces and for displaying several messages in a loop; Radio is effective at targeting large numbers of people in local areas, although broadcast areas will probably overlap with other local authorities; Local weekly newspaper advertising targets people in a large area; Signage near the RotG units is useful, but will only target people who pass those units; Consider your internal audience as well (intranet, web, , internal posters in staff rooms, staff training packs). Think about mobility and literacy barriers (height of units, message size, font size, colour ad placement on or around unit communications). You can find more information on these issues on the Direct Gov website. Here are some top-level suggestions of potential channels for raising awareness of RotG in specific sectors. page 41

42 Table 9 Awareness-raising communication methods by sector Sector Potential barriers Additional outputs Events Hospitals Leisure attractions/ venues/ academic Some potential users will assume that staff are employed to collect waste. Competing with many other posters and messages. Volume of people at peak times leaves little time for individuals to sort waste. Consider messaging about recycling before the event (or your website) letting the consumer know what to expect as far as recycling their waste, and also what they can and can t bring to the event to avoid potential waste in the first place e.g. glass and metal cans at concerts. Finding opportunities to get involved ahead of events so that they know what to expect is a good idea; an example might be to ask consumers ahead of the event to make a pledge on the event website to recycle when they attend the event. This could ensure that consumers have read the information on recycling and, potentially engage with it, ahead of attending the event and during. See the WRAP planning event tool. Addition of RotG message to staff uniforms. RotG branded cups, food containers and other materials given out at events. Consider eyeline additional signage may be more visible placed higher up or on the floor (in addition to on the actual units themselves) so that consumers can find their way to recycling points more easily. Consider placement of messages on units for example both on top of the units and also on the side so consumers can see what to put in which unit at various point. Adequate staff training at events and messages for stalls e.g. clear guidance on recycling system and process and which bags to use for recycling / residual and where to leave them for collection after the event. Consider limiting the use of freebies and give-aways at events as this could result in littering if items are not wanted or desirable. Focus on point of material use such as restaurants and waiting areas. Consider the use of canteen trays and other non-traditional advertising space such as car park tickets. Incorporate RotG signage with hospital way-finding signs. Consider high traffic areas such as entrances/exits and waiting areas. Provide adequate staff training and messages e.g. , web, intranet systems, etc. Know your audience and users of the e.g. disabled consumers, eye line messages, etc. Provide adequate staff training and messages. Know your audience and users of the e.g. disabled consumers, eye line messages, etc. Consider to which recycling area you will guide consumers (there may be more than one). Also consider exit points and car parks. page 42

43 Table 9 continued Sector Potential barriers Additional outputs Leisure attractions/ venues/ academic (continued) On street/ public parks Shopping centres Transport hub Volume of people at peak times leaves little time for individuals to sort waste. Absence of clear signage. Advertising space on units is a premium. Time pressure on users when passing through the site catching buses, planes, trains etc. Use of any communication materials which exist both ahead of consumers travelling to the venue and whilst at the site. Use of programme ad space to promote RotG ahead of entry to/exit from venue. Use of noticeboards to promote RotG at entry/exit from the site. Video screens to promote RotG messages during events. Floor vinyls as way-finding guides. Permanent RotG signposting in city centres consider banners (i.e. lampposts) and posters, BUT avoid any options such as leafleting which may cause littering. Window vinyls in businesses close to RotG units. Inclusion of RotG points on city maps consider maps which may appear in high traffic areas such as train stations/ shopping areas etc. Also consider if RotG can be included in any existing mobile navigation applications. Litter pickers and street cleansing staff training and messages on new system. Consider existing communication platforms, i.e. plasma information screens, poster space, announcements, maps etc. Given there may be a number of recycling areas, consider which is most appropriate to guide consumers to also consider exit points and car parks. Work with commercial organisations to sponsor RotG unit signage and communicate RotG messages into advertising messages. Staff training and messages. Know your audience and users of the e.g. disabled consumers, eye line messages, etc. Focus on prime locations such as exits/entrances, proximity to restaurants and car parks. Incorporate RotG messages on existing communication materials consider information screens, ticketing details and any options available on individual transport. Consider use of advertising space such as platform posters, train/tram interior panels and seat back panels. Add RotG messages on ticket web and tickets. Provide adequate staff training. For guidance on selecting the most effective channels for your sector, download Improving Recycling Through Effective Communications. page 43

44 6.4.4 Linking with the national brand The templates featured here use the look and feel developed for the national Recycle for Scotland brand. Crucially, they incorporate the UK-wide Recycle Now brand, as industry research shows that local communications benefit from association with national campaigns and messages. Here are some of the benefits of the Recycle for Scotland brand: The brand and its activities are extensively tested on the public and evaluated. In March 2011, 55% of people in Scotland recognised the Recycle Now brand. The Recycle Now logo and iconography is in widespread use by some of the UK s biggest retailers and is being used by an ever-increasing range of other organisations to communicate recycling messages. The Recycle for Scotland brand has an extensive range of free, evidenced-based, consumer-tested resources which can be tailored to support your recycling on the go scheme The templates The templates take two forms: those to promote the recycling service and point-ofrecycling templates (i.e. at the unit). The templates have been created to help you signpost, reinforce recycling behaviour and ensure the public know what materials to recycle and where. Promotional templates these have been developed to help organisations promote RotG in a variety of settings in Scotland. The templates include: 1 A3 poster 1 half page press ad 1 web banner These are examples of material stream iconography provided for on-pack labelling. You can now recycle more on the go! glass plastic bottles drinks cans paper Look out for these symbols on our recycling bins. For on-pack recycling label advice, more information can be found at Promotional template SPONSOR LOGO HERE page 44

45 plastic bottles sponsored by logo here glass sponsored by logo here Established scheme consider additional motivational messaging, such as facts on how recycled materials are transformed to new products, to inform consumers of the benefits of recycling, e.g. Our old drinks cans become new ones in just six weeks! Template images A set of images are available for specific materials (cans, bottles etc). These can be applied to the templates to reflect the materials you are collecting. The templates also feature the national material stream iconography, which should correspond to those displayed on RotG units. In-situ template examples You can change the messages according to: the materials you are collecting; the needs of your own corporate or localised messaging; and the stage you are at with your RotG scheme. The main straplines You can recycle more on the go on the promotional template and Recycle for Scotland on the in-situ template are fixed but the rest of the template can be modified to fit your local requirements. Here are some examples: New scheme consider a generic message on the availability of a new scheme within your premises or location, e.g. You can now recycle your drinks cans, bottles and paper with us! Existing scheme with new recycling consider directional messaging to ensure consumers are aware of new and to encourage continued use of the service, e.g. Recycle your drinks cans, bottles and paper at our in-store recycling points. You can access the full range of iconography via the Recycle Now partners website. Point-of-recycling templates this standardised signage uses the material stream iconography from the UK Recycle Now campaign to bring consistency across the RotG units in all nations and settings, making RotG easy by ensuring consumers know what to recycle and where. The templates cover four core material streams: Drinks cans Glass Paper Plastics These are supplied as individual icons for you to select and include on the units or on signage at the point of recycling. Consider including the material stream icons on all promotional materials to ensure there is a link for consumers between photographic images used by Scottish Local Authorities and the icons on the RotG units. page 45

46 While all templates use Scottish national branding and offer space for localised elements, they are not definitive. Organisations are encouraged to consider the best communication channels for their organisation or event, and to use the guidance below and additional resources to build on what is available Using the templates To develop these materials for your customers, you will need the help of a graphic designer either in-house or external. This will help to extend the look and feel to other communications, and to incorporate your own branding within the rules of the Recycle for Scotland brand guidelines. Remember to obtain approval for initial designs from senior managers and/or elected members as required before proceeding too far. And finally, once selected, your messages must be applied consistently across all your communication activities. Download the the Scottish RotG templates. For guidance in applying the RotG templates, download the Scottish RotG Brand Guidance Document. You can also modify the RotG templates, see Recycle for Scotland Brand lines. You also need to be careful if using signage on smaller units, where space is limited and the unit may be below waist height, as this can make it difficult to read messages. For small units, place signage on the aperture or on the top of the unit. Similarly, give thought to the layout of text on RotG units. The example below shows the type of text layout to avoid. Users were not clear whether this text meant that plastic bottles and glass bottles were expected, or mixed plastics and glass bottles. PLASTIC & GLASS BOTTLES CANS Why not test your signage with potential users? This process can provide valuable feedback on whether aspects of the signage could be misinterpreted Signage on approach and at the units Signage on the units is critical so people know what to put in them for recycling. Don t use ambiguous terms like mixed recyclables, as the public don t understand them. Generic terms such as cans or bottles can also be unhelpful, as users sometimes do not know what these refer to i.e. steel or aluminium cans or both? Plastic or glass bottles? Be very clear and specific about what materials you accept in the recycling containers: steel or aluminium cans (or both); plastic bottles vs glass bottles Material stream guide A series of material stream icons have been developed to support your communications. The icons have been consumer-tested and their application represents an effective way to show people what to recycle and where. Additional icons are available on the Recycle Now partner s website. page 46

47 stream units Recycle on The Go Technical Guidance September 2012 The templates have been created to allow recycling signage to be stacked or expanded for commingled collections for greater ease of use. plastic bottles paper drinks cans sponsored by logo here The icon templates should be included on your RotG units to reflect the materials 15 Recycle on the Go communications which can be recycled. The icons are designed to sit alongside the Recycle for Scotland branding and any partner logos as part of the template suite. Unit design will be an important factor in how the icons can be used currently, and you may need to consider altering the icons themselves to deliver the RotG scheme effectively in your environment. For more information on unit design, please refer to the RotG Container Document in Appendix 3. page 47

48 Key points Carefully consider unit type and target materials in conjunction with the available space for signage. It is vital that users can readily identify the target material. If required, you should consider reducing the number of accepted materials to avoid confusing users. Test signage with potential users to ensure that it provides clear information on acceptable materials and cannot be misinterpreted. Terms such as mixed recyclables and bottles should be avoided. Ensure that container locations are identifiable to those familiar with the area, as the natural flow of people is a key factor in establishing appropriate RotG locations. Residual waste should be co-located or be integral to recycling, with the recycling unit differentiated from the residual waste bin through the use of colour; and If possible, provide recycling for all the core group of materials: cans, glass, paper and plastic bottles, as users typically perceive that these materials can be recycled and expect schemes to accept them. Select apertures that provide further clues to the materials accepted by the units. From a communications perspective, you need to: Ensure your target audience are at the heart of all your efforts. Make good use of the available templates. Choose communications channels likely to give you greatest exposure. Ensure clarity of signage on units, and avoid ambiguous words. Take care over the size of messages and placement of message on units especially when / if combined with sponsorship logo on units. Test your signage designs and messages with local users to minimise the risk of misinterpretation. Train your staff and inform stalls, caterers or other relevant people who might be responsible for recycling and waste; and If possible, inform consumers in advance about recycling at events or venues. page 48

49 7.0 Overview This chapter gives an overview of the financial aspects of implementing RotG. It provides guidance to enable you to calculate both the capital and operational associated with running a scheme. The key aspects to consider in establishing the cost of RotG are: capital for infrastructure; operational, including: treatment and disposal; collection i.e. staff time to service the RotG units; maintenance cleaning, repairs etc.; promotional materials/communication campaigns; and monitoring and. In addition, you may derive financial benefits from the introduction of a RotG scheme. For example, reduced associated with landfill disposal, or avoidance of penalties related to potential breaches in legislation. Local authorities have a limit on the amount of biodegradable waste they can landfill, and the collection of paper and/ or cardboard by RotG schemes may help as part of a wider approach to meet these targets. Segregating high-value materials also has the potential to generate income or offset the cost of collection by waste management and recycling contractors. Evaluating these options is critical to making an informed financial decision as to whether you are able to provide a cost-effective RotG scheme. The cost of RotG units varies significantly depending on the design, style and number of units required. So, the careful selection of appropriate units is vital. Review the guidance provided in Chapters 3, 4 and 5 to identify the type of units that are likely to perform effectively in your selected locations, and look at the WRAP container guidance in Appendix 3. You also need to consider the impact on servicing. For example, having a dense network of units will cost more than centralised units. Larger units also have greater capacity and require less frequent servicing, but cost more to install than smaller units. Table10 below shows a range of units. However, the actual cost may vary depending on individual specifications. Table 10 Approximate prices units (various sources) Unit type Cost External Single compartment unit 120 litre 250 Single compartment unit 240 litre Twin compartment unit 80 litres Triple compartment unit 60 litre 750 Quadruple compartment unit 240 litres 990 Internal Single compartment unit 50 litre Single compartment unit 100 litre In organisations such as shopping centres, hospitals, tourist attractions or transport hubs, the collection of material from public-facing waste may be managed by in-house or external cleaning staff. The addition of RotG is likely to generate extra demand in terms of time and effort from cleaning staff, so there is likely to be an increase in. The segregation of new materials may also require supplementary waste to be provided by an existing or new waste management contractor. For example, containers may need to be added at existing bulking point(s) for materials collected by the scheme. And there are maintenance page 49

50 to consider too, such as keeping units clean and presentable and carrying out repairs. When implementing any RotG scheme, promotional material will be required to raise awareness of the programme (for more information, see Chapter 6). You should also liaise with container manufacturers who can provide guidance on units that have been installed elsewhere (see WRAP s container guidance in Appendix 3 for contact information). Some manufacturers may support a pilot scheme by allowing you to borrow RotG units for a trial period. This approach, coupled with a monitoring programme (see Chapter 8), will enable you to evaluate the potential for the scheme. You may not have to meet all of these unaided. You could explore funding opportunities to reduce the cost to your organisation, at least in the short term. For example, you may be able to apply for funding to cover the capital of the RotG units and any initial communications (branding, iconography, wider communications etc). Call Zero Waste Scotland for more information on , or visit Evaluate each scheme option to assess relative and cost-effectiveness for your organisation. Consider the type of unit required based on the characteristics and needs of the location, in conjunction with servicing the unit, i.e. vehicle and staff required to empty each unit and emptying frequency. Consider the options for the management of the material once collected. Can this be easily managed under an existing contract, or is a contract variation needed? Take into account the for maintenance as well as promotional material. Explore any potential benefits from introducing RotG schemes, such as avoided from the diversion of material from landfill. Liaise with container manufacturers as they may able to support pilot schemes before you roll out a full service. What s more, RotG also provides income-generating potential. The diversion of material away from landfill, for example, can deliver financial benefits. These can be quantified by looking at the relative of landfill disposal versus processing. The saved will increase year on year, not only as landfill gate fees increase but also in terms of landfill tax, which is currently 64 per tonne (2012/13), and is set to increase by 8 per tonne each year until Key points page 50

51 8.0 Overview evaluating the performance of a RotG service is key to ensuring that it is operating effectively. You need to regularly measure how the scheme is performing, using monitoring data and key performance indicators (KPIs), to determine whether changes need to be made to improve its overall effectiveness. Data collected can also help you to decide whether you should expand your scheme and how best to do this. This chapter contains some suggestions for monitoring and activities suitable services. Some of the monitoring methods discussed are contained in WRAP s extensive guidance on the subject: Improving the Performance of Waste Diversion Schemes: A Good Practice to Monitoring and Evaluation (2010). This guidance provides useful background information, as well as advice on approaches which could be adopted. Waste Awareness Wales has also developed an events recycling guide which provides advice on evaluating services. Visit the website to download a copy. 8.1 What you should monitor The first stage in deciding what you should monitor is to look at the aims and objectives that have been set for the service, campaign or activity you are measuring. For RotG, the aim might be To increase the recycling of material on the go, and the related objective To increase tonnage (weight) of recyclables collected on the go by X% by [XX date], or To increase awareness of the RotG service by XX% by XX date. Remember, any objectives you set should be SMART: Specific; Measurable; Achievable; Relevant; and Time-Bound. One of the most important performance measures is the effectiveness of your RotG. Key performance indicators for you to consider include: the amount of the target material collected (tonnage) see guidance below and Chapter 6 of WRAP s monitoring and guidance; capture rate for each target material as a proportion of that which is generated (Chapter 7 of the monitoring and guidance); the quality of the material collected (e.g. is contamination an issue, are the wrong materials being placed in the recycling unit?); and awareness of the service by potential users see Chapter 4 of the monitoring and guidance. Capture refers to the quantity of a particular target material that is captured by the RotG service designed to accept that material. Capture rate therefore refers to the proportion (as a percentage) of a targeted material that has been collected relative to the total quantity of that material arising (i.e. from both the residual bin and RotG unit). Understanding capture rate will highlight whether you need to focus on attracting a particular material. Plan for monitoring at the outset of a scheme and not as an add-on. One of the best ways to determine whether positive change is being made is to establish benchmarks at the beginning of the roll-out so you can measure such things as the proportion of residual waste reduced over time or the increased recycling you achieve. Conducting monitoring before and after communication activity helps to determine not only the effectiveness of individual communication events, but also its cost-effectiveness. 8.2 When to monitor You should carry out monitoring and after your scheme is established, for example after the launch and at various points afterwards, as well as after specific campaigns, such as new signage, a local press campaign etc. Planning, monitoring and Monitoring and page 51

52 You are recommended to collect periodic tonnage (estimated or actual) and contamination data from the start of the scheme. Also bear in mind that any new scheme will go through a bedding in period, so when evaluating results, consider whether the collection frequency needs to change during the monitoring period. If your site has regular visitors, try looking at the results gained from three-to-six months onwards to see whether visitor numbers and unit usage are increasing. If you are conducting any communications campaigns, you should monitor scheme performance before any activity is undertaken (to establish a baseline), and then one month after promotions end. 8.3 Tonnage data You can obtain tonnage data from your waste management contractor via records such as weighbridge tickets. However, this is only possible if the material from your RotG units is collected separately from other collection rounds. In the case of local authorities, RotG material is often collected in conjunction with trade waste or kerbside recycling rounds and at other types of site. This means that RotG material from public-facing is often mixed with material collected from other areas, e.g. businesses and households, so using weighbridge data may not be an option. It may be possible instead to conduct periodic monitoring. You can do this by arranging a dedicated collection of material from RotG units during a trial period to capture and record weighbridge data. This would then provide information on the performance of the scheme within a given locality. The performance of the whole scheme could be measured and monitored over time in this way, and could even be adapted to measure performance of different sub-sets of units in different areas. Alternatively, where liners are used in RotG units, collection crews or management staff could weigh the material collected during a trial period, using simple fishing/luggage scales. This would have the added advantage of providing data at the individual unit level, enabling the performance of various RotG locations to be monitored. Simple tick sheets could be used for recording this information. 8.4 Quality of collected material The most effective way to assess the quality of RotG material collection is via a waste composition analysis. This will help to identify levels of the target materials and levels of contamination. A waste composition analysis of residual waste will also help you assess the additional proportion of material that has the potential to be captured by the RotG units (capture rate), but that is currently being disposed of within the residual waste bin. However, this approach can be time-consuming and costly. An alternative is to visually check contamination in your RotG units and assess the type and nature of contaminants that are visible on the surface of the deposited material. Are the contaminants non-target materials? Or is food and drink residue reducing the quality of the collected materials to such an extent that they cannot be recycled? These checks will enable you to estimate the proportion of contaminated RotG units. You may also be able to establish types of main contaminant and the proportion of overall contamination. This is particularly useful for identifying whether certain types of non-target materials are frequently being deposited in RotG units. In addition, if various types of units are used in different locations, a unit-level visual analysis of contamination can inform future roll-outs of the RotG scheme, identifying comparative success of one unit over another. Further guidance is available from Chapter 8 of the WRAP Evaluation. Advice on conducting surveys is available in Chapter 4 of the Evaluation guidance. See also the City of London case study for a monitoring example. If tonnage data are needed, it may be advisable to include this requirement in contract conditions, service level agreements or memoranda of understandings, specifying the data that are required and how frequently they are needed. Planning, monitoring and Monitoring and page 52

53 Case study The City of London is currently trialling two different aperture types for its RotG units. Contamination is being monitored to assess the performance of the aperture types. Materials from each aperture type are being collected separately by collection crews. Waste composition analysis is being conducted on the collected materials to identify which materials are currently being recycled and the levels of contamination. The results will allow decisions to be made on which aperture to use for future units and will also highlight how effectively the units are being used. Following analysis of the waste streams, the City of London decided that units with apertures for paper will be placed outside mainline stations to capture morning and evening free papers. It also decided that apertures for commingled material will be used on other locations where workers may be passing at lunch with mixed recycling. This approach will continue to be monitored and developed, as there is the option for apertures to be changed should the location require it. 8.5 Evaluation Evaluating performance helps to identify those activities and campaigns that provide the biggest increase in recycling rates from a given financial investment. A continuous feedback loop should be used to document and action and respond to lessons learned from the roll-out of schemes, associated communication campaigns or other RotG activity. This can be used to inform and determine the success of changes to the existing service and any future expansion. Points to consider: Ensure that when progress is evaluated, it is completed on all of the units with the scheme and not done in isolation. Calculating a cost per tonne or per resident/visitor spend for the service will facilitate a comparative analysis. Benchmarking a service will identify where money is being spent, what impact it is having and where to target improvements. 8.6 Suggested areas for monitoring and Table 11 gives suggested areas that could be monitored and evaluated. Many of the examples could be used for more than one activity, so it is suggested that you review the whole table before deciding what is important for you to monitor. Circular aperture for drinks cans and plastic bottles Long-slit aperture for paper Planning, monitoring and Monitoring and page 53

54 Table 11 options for scheme usage What could be monitored? How could it be monitored? Why is monitoring a good idea? Are there any issues to consider? The quantity of target material collected (tonnage) Tonnage data provided by your waste contractor or local authority service. Using an internal resource to weigh bags. Collecting tonnage data will allow scheme performance to be monitored. It will allow you to monitor what weight of recycling is collected per event or per time period. It will allow you to calculate your recycling rate (weight of recycling collected divided by total weight of all waste collected). Tonnage data for single RotG units may be difficult to obtain. If this is the case, consider undertaking short monitoring periods where this information can be collected either via arranging a dedicated collection (check with your contractor whether this would be possible operationally and at what cost), or weighing individual bagged material (using a set of balance scales for example). The quantity and quality of target material collected Waste composition analysis. Visual inspection. Understanding the quantity, quality and type of recyclables collected will enable you to use this information to improve the performance of the scheme. For example, are incorrect materials regularly present in the collected materials? Are product residues an issue e.g. food and drink? This information could then be used to inform a targeted communication campaign, or to inform the design of new signage. Understanding the composition of items collected within the recycling and residual waste stream may also help to inform decisions on adding new materials to the scheme. Waste composition analysis should be conducted by professionals due to the health and safety risks involved. There will be a cost involved if an external company is contracted to do the work. As an alternative, use a visual inspection of collected material. This will not provide the same detail as a full composition analysis but will highlight the main contamination issues. Planning, monitoring and Monitoring and page 54

55 Table 11 continued What could be monitored? How could it be monitored? Why is monitoring a good idea? Are there any issues to consider? Contamination issues Reports from collection crew or contractors/partners. Visual inspections. Provides a good insight into what unsuitable materials users may be placing in the RotG units. May help identify hot spots and opportunities for changing unit locations or material streams accepted. It may also identify problems that users are having with the instructions on the units. Information reported may be in isolation, for example, reported by collection crews working on different collection rounds and not help with the overall scheme performance or communications campaign. Capture rates Using tonnage of recyclables and residual waste and waste composition data. Capture will indicate how successful a scheme is in diverting the target recyclables from the residual waste unit into RotG units. It will also help to identify common materials that are not being recycled. The composition of the recyclable and residual waste stream is required for the service area to calculate capture rates of the target materials. These data may not be available. Measuring the equivalent market value of captured material Using resources such as the WRAP Materials Pricing Report, prices paid for material bought and sold per tonne can be used to measure the financial value of material collected through RotG units. Data collected from a waste composition exercise of residual waste will allow a market value to be assigned to the proportion of material that could be captured for recycling, but is being lost to other disposal routes e.g. landfill. For some users, the value ( ) of what is recycled or reused is more of a driver than the associated environmental benefits. This provides an alternative measure of performance. All material values assigned will be approximate, based on current market data, and not reflect market fluctuations in price. Planning, monitoring and Monitoring and page 55

56 Table 11 continued What could be monitored? How could it be monitored? Why is monitoring a good idea? Are there any issues to consider? Cost per tonne or per resident/visitor If tonnage data and are available for the service, then a cost per tonne or per resident/ visitor can be calculated. Tonnage recycled or reused can also be calculated as waste diverted from landfill, and a cost for landfill avoidance assigned. Many key performance indicators will be concerned with landfill diversion and value for money. This calculation allows both to be determined. It will also help evaluate which activities are providing the biggest impact. Tonnage data may not be available and cost data may be difficult to calculate. Both direct and indirect (staff time) should be included. Cleanliness and condition of the units Routine inspection of the units to identify any damage to signage or whether the units are dirty making the signage illegible etc. Monitoring levels of littering in and around the unit may also be an indication that the unit requires a higher level of servicing and maintenance. If the condition of the units is poor, contamination may be an increasing issue as users are not able to readily identify target materials and in some cases may be discouraged from using the RotG unit altogether. This information should be recorded, and an appropriate maintenance regime put in place to clean units regularly and to carry out essential maintenance. Cleaning and maintenance have an associated cost. Who will be providing this service? How frequently? How much will it cost? Communication campaign attitudes towards and awareness of RotG before and after the campaign: X% of site visitors aware of the service X% of site visitors that claim to participate in the service A survey of site users: See Chapter 4 of WRAP s Evaluation guidance for more information on conducting surveys. A survey conducted pre- and postcampaign will not only provide valuable data about the attitudes of residents, but can also help select relevant communication activities for the future. Repeating the survey at the end of your campaign will allow you to measure changes in attitudes and awareness resulting from the campaign. Surveys can be labour-intensive. Assess what level of expertise you have in-house: you may need to consider contracting survey work to an outside organisation with specialist skill in this area. Consider how much work needs to be done to ensure a representative sample and to analyse the data. Online surveys can be less labourintensive. Ensure that questions asked are not leading test them out and remember the question aims (what you want to find out). Planning, monitoring and Monitoring and page 56

57 Table 11 continued What could be monitored? How could it be monitored? Why is monitoring a good idea? Are there any issues to consider? Visits to the authority/organisation s website to view RotG information Website hits. Contacts via the website. Click-throughs from other web or footer messages. IT teams should be able to provide support on these issues. Monitoring is straightforward and most social media allow the tracking of this type of information automatically. Requires a specific RotG recycling page on your website Complaints and enquiries Call centre logs. s and letters. Any complaints received can be monitored. Enquiries received can indicate that further information is required on RotG unit signage, information boards, etc. All organisations should maintain an enquiry line and log any correspondence. For SMEs this may be just keeping a record of any enquiries or correspondence that comes in as well as anecdotal feedback from staff Visitor feedback Short survey on the day/period of visit or follow-up survey if addresses are provided. Relevant questions include: Did they make use of the RotG services? Was the service easy to use? Could they easily identify which materials were accepted by the scheme? It will provide insight into the effectiveness of the service with visitors who are likely only to have interacted with the RotG units themselves. Visitors will be less aware of the background to the scheme and the availability of recycling services in the local area. Many visitors may not want to participate in a survey. Number of users Observing RotG unit or site usage. Observing usage can provide a qualitative insight into how people use the units, which may allow you to identify potential improvements. User surveys will also allow you to review unit locations to ensure that you are targeting high footfall areas. This can be a time consuming and hence costly operation. It may be easier to consider a user survey (as above) depending on the location of the unit/site. Planning, monitoring and Monitoring and page 57

58 Table 11 continued What could be monitored? How could it be monitored? Why is monitoring a good idea? Are there any issues to consider? Advertising revenue and/or opportunities to see Income generated. Website hits (where a web address forms part of the advertising). If your units include advertising either for your organisation or another organisation try incorporating metrics such as footfall, visitor numbers etc. Incorporating metrics will allow you to track viewing levels and will provide valuable information highlighting which should contain advertising. Any advertising on your unit should not distract too greatly from its intended function. Space may be limited. Key points Take the time to plan your scheme thoroughly and identify key performance indicators from the start. Plan any monitoring into your service and contracts. Collect and regularly review any available data. Planning, monitoring and Monitoring and page 58

59 Appendix 1: Glossary A range of terminology is used by the different stakeholders involved the collection and treatment of materials for recycling. The various terms used in this guide are defined in the table below. ACORN Aperture Baling material Bulking material 1 In the UK the ACORN (A Classification of Residential Neighbourhoods) system has become the standard method for profiling the socio-economic characteristics of households. The system was designed by CACI 1 to reflect purchasing patterns and uses census data to determine which of five categories (1 being the most affluent and 5 the least affluent) each household belongs to. An aperture is an opening, hole or gap through which material can be placed into a RotG unit. Apertures come in different shapes such as a long slit for paper or a round hole for cans and bottles. Baling is commonly used for recyclables. The baling of material involves compacting material into a bale using a mechanical device. A bale is a block of compressed material (similar to a straw bale) comprising plastic bottles or paper etc. for ease of transport. Material is bulked for storage. For example, a site may have multiple RotG units, each unit is emptied and the sacks of material are stored together (bulked) in a large container. Bulking allows ease of transport over longer distances at lower cost. Collection service Collection system: comingled, dual stream or source-segregated Contamination Landfill tax A collection service refers to the provision of the RotG units and the collection of material deposited (waste and/or recycling) for onward treatment. A collection system refers to the way in which materials are collected for recycling in the RotG unit. Commingled all materials for recycling are collected together as mixed recycling. Dual stream materials are collected in two material streams, usually consisting of paper collected separately in one unit and glass, cans and plastics collected in another. Source-segregated materials are segregated at the point of collection, so paper for example is collected separately to glass. A number of different RotG units may be provided for individual materials. Contamination is the term used to refer to an item of non-target material in a RotG container that accepts only specific types of material for recycling (e.g. food waste in a container provided for plastic bottles). This is a tax applied to waste materials going to landfill. It is a fiscal instrument used to make alternative forms of treatment such as recycling more economically appealing. page 59

60 Materials recovery facility (MRF) Recycling Reprocessors Residual waste Reverse vending machine A sorting plant where mixed dry recyclables (typically paper, card, metals, mixed plastic bottles and sometimes glass) are separated into their individual material types and baled or loaded in bulk for further processing by specialist recyclers. Recycling is the collection or recovery of used materials from waste and their subsequent reprocessing into new products to prevent the discarding of potentially useful and valuable materials in order to reduce our reliance on the use of raw materials. Reprocessors convert the sorted materials that have been collected for recycling into a raw material that can be manufactured into a new product. Residual waste is the component of the waste stream that is left when everything possible has been separated for recycling. A reverse vending machine is a device that accepts used (empty) packaging materials (usually drinks containers) and returns either money or points to the user (the reverse of the typical vending cycle where a machine sells items). RotG unit and container RotG site Transfer station Waste composition Waste composition analysis A RotG unit is the equivalent of an individual unit that may house more than one container within it. For example, there may be a container for paper, one for glass and one for cans. A site refers to a location where more than one recycling unit may be provided. A transfer station is a location at which waste and recyclable material that has been collected from individual is deposited to be bulked and then transferred onwards for treatment such as reprocessing. The composition of waste refers to how much of each individual component material is included within the total waste stream. Waste composition analysis involves the sorting of waste material to understand their constituent parts (i.e. the individual material components or streams). It can involve the manual (hand) sorting of material from RotG units to identify the percentage mix of different materials and to understand the quantity of individual materials within the whole (e.g. plastic bottles account for X% of the waste stream by weight and cans account for %). Waste diversion The act of moving materials up the value chain by diverting waste from landfill and into recovery, recycling or reuse. page 60

61 CASE STUDY ABERDEENSHIRE COUNCIL Recycle on The Go Technical Guidance September 2012 Aberdeenshire Council received funding to trial three different types of RotG units across town centres and outside schools to assess performance and durability. Key facts Aberdeenshire Council is trialling 3 different types of RotG container to assess which style performs best and is the most durable. The units are all similar in that they are a housing unit for a 240 or 330 litre wheeled bin. Six towns now have RotG units installed. Location Located in north-east Scotland, the Aberdeenshire Council area has a population of 236,260, representing 4.6% of the Scottish total. The number of households is 104, Rationale Aberdeenshire Council wanted to build on its excellent network of public recycling bring, all of which are very well-used, with an estimated tonnage yielding as much material as the kerbside collection service. As it is proven that bring are well used, the Council decided that the addition of smaller RotG in more convenient locations (nearer to points of consumption) would be beneficial and complement the existing service. Aberdeenshire Council successfully applied for Zero Waste Scotland s Recycling on the Go Capital Support funding to introduce RotG schemes as a trial. Scheme overview The location of the RotG units was governed by the towns on the existing bring site collection vehicles as it was anticipated that the RotG units may need emptied on a higher frequency than the bring. Therefore the towns that were selected (Banff, Inverurie, Ellon, Aboyne and Stonehaven) are the ones where dedicated collection vehicles are already stationed and therefore can service the RotG units on a daily basis (other than weekends), if necessary. The types of containers Aberdeenshire received funding for are recycling units that are akin to traditional litter bins that can house wheeled bins. Several companies supply these and examples of the type of container to be used are the Glasdon Nexus 360, Leafield Eco Envirosite and the Broxap Trojan. Where possible, the RotG units are made from recycled material. All containers are of the same type and style and feature Recycle for Scotland branding. 1 Source: page 61

62 There are 2 Broxap Trojan (3rd one to be installed shortly) installed near to 3 academies in 3 towns, and a mixture of 6 Leafield Envirobank and 4 Glasdon Nexus 360 in another 3 towns. Each site consists of 3 bin housings: one for plastic bottles, one for mixed cans and foil, and one for litter. Whilst the fund was for recycling, Aberdeenshire Council is of the view that to successfully install recycling units in high profile areas they must be aesthetically pleasing and the existing litter bins did not match the RotG units. They also felt it is important that there is a litter bin adjacent to the recycling units as this is key in reducing contamination of the recycling units. As recycling is an integral part of waste management and not a separate service from other waste services such as litter bins, it was very important to Aberdeenshire that the RotG units are fully integrated to include an option for litter. Therefore the funding included the purchase of litter bins to match the RotG units. The types of areas targeted are town centre shopping areas primarily with a focus on the routes that young people use at lunchtimes to move between the academies and shops. It has been noted that these routes are particular litter hot spots and that much of this litter is beverage containers. For this reason, cans and foil, and plastic bottles are the targeted materials collected. Paper has been excluded due to concerns over contamination from food waste or other contaminants. Aberdeenshire s paper collection is a news and pams service and as such requires high quality material that is not contaminated with cardboard, food or other materials. This type of paper is not likely to be a material that is readily available for recycling on the go in any significant volume in these locations. Planning The RotG project interfaces well with Aberdeenshire s existing collection systems for bring and trade waste recycling collections. There was no requirement for any additional investment in collection infrastructure as the RotG units could be accommodated within existing collection service capacity. The Council currently operates over 180 bring plus a number of small minirecycling points in high density flatted developments and sheltered housing areas. In addition, they collect recyclables from approximately 1500 trade waste customers using the same fleet of vehicles that the bring are serviced by. Both of these services are collected source-segregated: cans (and glass for trade and bring ) are collected in a four-compartment top loader vehicle (one compartment each for cans and 3 colours of glass). Plastic bottles are collected either in a small 2-sided caged vehicle with a bin-lift, or, in the cases of Ellon and Aboyne, by a local social work recycling project using a net system. The plastic bottles are tipped straight into a compactor at the depot from the vehicle or baled locally by the recycling projects. As an extension of an existing service, if the RotG scheme proves successful, there is scope for further expansion. The towns selected were specifically chosen because current servicing collection vehicles are based in these towns, which means the can be serviced as much as 10 times per week (at the beginning and end of each working day) or as little as once per week. This has reduced the need for additional transport between towns. The schools, based next to academies, came about as a result of an approach to the schools and resulting consultation with the pupils. The selected schools (Banff Academy, Ellon Academy and Aboyne Academy) assisted in the design of the units with the children having buy-in and being asked which unit they liked from various brochures and deciding on the precise location for the units. Due to this initial involvement, the schools have taken ownership of the units, monitoring usage and reporting any issues back to the Council. No planning permission was required for installation at any of the. There were no street scene requirements in terms of design restrictions. However, an issue arose with one selected site that was in a conservation area. It is important to check the local conditions relating to this as there may be other specific local planning requirements in these areas, and these can vary from area to area. page 62

63 Containers Table 1 Details of containers provided by Aberdeenshire council Types of site School Town centre Town centre Number of containers Type of container Wheeled bin housing unit Wheeled bin housing unit Wheeled bin housing unit Container capacity (litres) 240 or or or 330 Figure 1 Banff Academy site, Broxap Trojan units. Make of container Broxap Trojan Leafield Eco Envirobank Cost per container Waste streams segregated Cans, plastic bottles, litter Cans, plastic bottles, litter Glasdon Nexus 360 Cans, plastic bottles, litter Figure 2 Stonehaven promenade site, Leafield Eco Envirobank units. Signage Each site has 3 units: one for cans, one for plastic bottles and one for litter. The same signage and colours used for all and are in line with the Recycle for Scotland branding cans are grey, plastics bottles are red and litter (general waste) is black on a white background. All units also display the material icons. Figure 3 Inverurie Garioch Shopping Centre car park site, Glasdon Nexus 360 units. Figure 4 Example signage using the Recycle for Scotland branding. page 63

64 Capital expenditure The main area of capital expenditure was the units. The service is carried out as part of the existing collection contract with no increase in as the units replaced existing litter bins. No additional resource was required. Collection and storage The plastic bottles and cans are collected alongside existing bring site collections that already operate in each of the towns included within the scheme. Materials are sent for reprocessing along with all of the other materials collected by the Council for recycling. Currently, steel cans are sent to EMR, aluminium cans to Novelis and plastic bottles to JFC Recycling. Communication The RotG installed in April / May 2012 have been promoted in the local schools, both at primary and secondary level by use of , posters (as shown below), and flyers. The schools were involved in the installation of the outside the academies, therefore it is hoped that as a result, this will be reflected in the way they are received by school children and their families. A press release was also issued to the local publications in each area. The units have been added to the list of bring on the council s website and there is a link to a news story on the council s homepage. Given that collection from the RotG units is fully part of the existing service all materials are treated in the same way as those collected from bring. Collection crews check containers for acceptability before they are emptied. If there is an unacceptable level of contamination this will be reported to Recycling Officers for noting and action. If contamination is minor the materials are cleaned by the crews (by transferring any unwanted materials to the neighbouring litter bin) and the remaining acceptable materials are collected. Where contamination is serious this is collected by an alternative waste collection vehicle and sent to landfill. Aberdeenshire Council is very interested in how levels of contamination at these will compare to those at bring and Recycling Officers and the collection crew are monitoring this closely. Some of the collections from the RotG units are carried out by a local social work project that manually sorts the material collected. As a result, the project has been monitoring usage and contamination and has found the contamination levels to be very low. According to the feedback, the odd glass bottle appears in with the cans. Aberdeenshire Council feels that having a litter bin as part of RotG unit has really helped to keep the litter out of the recycling units. To date, no units have been collected as waste. The units are working well. Figure 5 Draft Aberdeenshire RotG poster. page 64

65 Aberdeenshire Council is in the process of enlisting the assistance of local businesses that retail beverage containers to promote the RotG units, both by displaying posters and by face-to-face contact. The types of businesses include sandwich shops, bakeries, convenience stores, chip shops and other fast food outlets. There are also other targeted opportunities for selected. For example, it is expected that one site will be Stonehaven Beach where there are two caravan parks, a leisure centre, as well as a number of other tourist attractions. In this case the unit will be promoted (along with the local bring site in that area) to all of those organisations and their users. The Council is working with Alupro through their Metal Matters campaign, which promotes can recycling. Alupro has been very supportive of RotG and has experience of this in other parts of the UK. A direct mailshot and leaflets are being sent out to all Aberdeenshire households to promote the campaign (see below). Performance, contamination and monitoring In terms of tonnage, in the absence of on-board weighing, Aberdeenshire Council is not able to accurately record details of actual weights collected. However, it can estimate tonnage by converting the volume collected using conversion factors. The conversion factors are those tried and tested by the Council and they are satisfied that this provides a meaningful estimate. To estimate the weight collected, the collection crews are recording how full the containers are on each visit (level of fill), with this information being used to gauge the approximate tonnage of materials that is being collected from these units. This is recorded in both kilogrammes and carbon metric equivalents. This monitoring is undertaken weekly by collection crews on each collection (or twice weekly dependent upon usage). Site visits are undertaken by Recycling Officers as a minimum on a bi-monthly basis for a period of 3 months and monthly thereafter, with opportunist checks undertaken whenever staff are in the area. Aberdeenshire Council is also monitoring the contents of the litter bins to see whether any bottles and cans are placed in these containers (instead of the RotG units). The project will be monitored by Recycling Officers. Staff are committed to regular visits to the to check how well they are being used, gain feedback from any members of the public using the, and also feedback will be sought from the local schools. Figure 6 Leaflet sent to Aberdeenshire households the Alupro Metal Matters campaign. Lessons learned Aberdeenshire Council purchased containers to house a 240 litre wheeled bin as this suited the existing collection services. However, this meant the unit as a whole is large which can look quite obtrusive in a small town centre or slightly out of place in a conservation area. It was more challenging to find for big containers than smaller litter-bin-style containers. Certain RotG units are a large black mass when looking from behind if not placed up against something (for example, next to a wall). In a freestanding position (i.e. not against something) perhaps, in hindsight, a smaller unit with a dual litter and page 65

66 recycling option may have been more aesthetically pleasing. These would also have had the option for being used from both sides, which is more versatile in a freestanding position and may have increased use. Although these may look more like traditional litter bins, in certain situations they may have been a better option. Five towns were selected based on existing routes for collection vehicles; it might have been better to target one town and install a number of units / change all the litter bins units instead of splitting it out to two units per town across five towns. However, existing infrastructure was not there to allow for a more targeted, blanket approach, but this means there is a wider spread of ROTG across the area, which may be better for feedback for trial purposes. Aberdeenshire Council has been surprised at how well received the RotG units have been overall. They expected some negative feedback but there has been very little to date since the installation began in April/May The Litter Patrol Operative in Inverurie has commented that there has been a difference in litter in the Inverurie town centre area although this is difficult to quantify. Securing of containers - containers are best secured to concrete or slabs. Tarmac is not ideal but can work as long as it is of a suitable depth and condition. The Glasdon Nexus 360s were secured onto a lock block area in Inverurie Town Centre- this worked but the fixings were placed between blocks rather than into them. In future it would be better to try to ensure the units are installed on concrete where they can be secured more satisfactorily. Acknowledgements With thanks to Pam Walker, Principal Waste Management Officer, Diane Rotherham, Recycling Officer, Lorna Hogg, Recycling Officer and Melanie Baldwin, Waste Promotions Officer at Aberdeenshire Council. page 66

67 CASE STUDY RECYCLING ON THE GO EVERY CAN COUNTS Recycle on The Go Technical Guidance September 2012 Every Can Counts aims to make it easier to recycle cans outside of the home and is working to increase the number of RotG can collection points in public access areas and workplaces across the UK. Key facts The Every Can Counts (ECC) programme, managed by Alupro, provides organisations with units for can collection and is designed to sit alone or alongside recycling on the go (RotG) schemes already in place. ECC provides an all-encompassing communications programme to support organisations in the scheme. In 2011, 51 million drinks cans were recycled via the scheme. Location The Every Can Counts programme is a partnership between drinks can manufacturers/fillers and the metal packaging recycling industry. It aims to help people recycle drinks cans when they are at work, university or simply when they are out shopping, at the beach, or attending festivals and events. It aims to bring recycling to the front of the minds of people when they are away from home: for example, at work, university or when they are out shopping, at the beach, or attending festivals and events. To date, nearly 700 organisations around the UK are registered with the programme. It is operating at over 1,900 individual ; while the number of ECC branded collection points is approaching Rationale The original focus of the Every Can Counts campaign, developed by the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation Alupro, was to test the drivers to running successful recycling programmes for drinks cans outside the home in workplaces and university campuses. In 2010, the focus was widened to incorporate promotion of Recycling on the Go. Alupro develop, manage and implement the ECC programme on behalf of the funding organisations: the Beverage Can Makers Europe (BCME), Can Pack UK, Novelis UK, Tata Steel, the UK Can Makers, and drinks brand Red bull. It is supported the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP). Scheme overview The programme, managed by Alupro, provides organisations with containers for can collection and is designed to sit alone or alongside RotG schemes already in place. In addition, the campaign provides an all-encompassing communications and behaviour change programme, including the provision of materials to organisations to help set up and promote the ECC scheme. page 67

68 The scheme currently operates in a number of RotG locations such as universities, beach locations, events and festivals and shopping centres. Planning Once an organisation has contacted Alupro and registered for the ECC scheme, support is provided to help set up the scheme and install the RotG units. Containers The ECC scheme can provide an organisation with boxes for the collection of cans (Figure 1). Typically these are more suited to indoor locations while the can compactors (displayed on title page) are suited to outdoor locations, or areas where they are expected to have a high level of use e.g. shopping centres. Durham University was the first university to sign up to the campaign in 2009 and is continuing to set up more recycling points. Throughout the University premises the ECC recycling boxes and communications materials are displayed prominently by vending machines, in retail areas and communal areas. Another option is for organisations to simply rebrand existing RotG units with the ECC communications materials, but still benefit from being involved in the campaign. Case study evidence has been amassed by Alupro to show that the provision of branded can collection schemes heightens the awareness of recycling, and promotes an uplift in the level of all materials collected for recycling (plastic bottles, paper etc). Table 1 Details of ECC containers Number of containers Type of container Container capacity (litres) Cost per container Waste streams segregated Special features Unlimited Box or Ecopacteur can compactor cans per box, or 700 compacted cans ECC starter pack including 3 boxes, 6 liner bags and communications material plastic liners Ten recycling boxes with lids Ecopacteur can compactor Drinks cans Branded with ECC campaign logo, packs are delivered with posters The Ecopacteur can compactor only accept cans, reducing contamination. Signage The can collection boxes feature the Recycle Now branding, as well as the ECC logo. Collection and storage In the majority of schemes, ECC works in partnership with the organisation, event waste contractor or local authority to plan the scheme roll out, and identify servicing requirements of the RotG units. Alternatively Every Can Counts can assist in making links with local collection partners. Figure 1 Every Can Counts workplace can collection box. page 68

69 Communication The ECC campaign is largely driven through the website, offering video case studies, and additional case study material and communications advice and supporting material downloads. At events and festivals ECC is keen to promote the recycling message not only to benefit the event, but so that festival-goers continue to engage in recycling activities when they return home. Social media (Facebook, Twitter) is recognised as becoming increasingly more important to promote communications and engage a wider audience. ECC is currently completing an exercise to assess the reach of their communications campaigns, beyond the data that quantifies the number of cans recycled in RotG units. Performance, contamination and monitoring Each organisation that joins the ECC scheme is registered onto a central database. Accurate data collection is considered a real challenge, but Alupro has worked to overcome this with support from WRAP. A representative sample of registered scheme users are asked to complete an annual survey on volumes of material collected through their scheme. This information is then used to estimate the total volume of material collected. Some larger ECC schemes, are able to provide accurate tonnage data. Some larger schemes have been allocated a dedicated account or project manager by Alupro. These account/project managers visit to monitor progress of the scheme, and can also identify and assess contamination levels and advise on changes that can be made to the scheme to reduce the contamination levels. The Ecopacteur can compactors, supported by a targeted communications campaign, have proved to be particularly beneficial in eliminating contamination of recycling bins in hospitals and at beach locations. Lessons learned ECC advises that communication is key to engagement, supporting schemes before they are launched, as well as once they are up and running. Through delivery of the ECC scheme, Alupro has become more aware of the key role that Environmental Champions can have in taking responsibility for developing and maintaining a scheme within an organisation. As the programme has evolved, it has become more focused around supporting environmental champions with the material and information they need at a local level to keep their scheme refreshed and alive. Acknowledgements With thanks to Rick Hindley, Diana Caldwell, Julie Meeks and Ruth Meeke at Alupro. page 69

70 CASE STUDY RECYCLING ON THE GO CLYCH EVENTS RECYCLING Recycle on The Go Technical Guidance September 2012 Cylch is a community recycling/reuse network with over 70 members. It provides information, advice and support to existing and emerging community reuse, recycling, composting and reprocessing organisations across Wales and provide support for events recycling. Key facts Cylch leases bins to events around Wales to promote recycling. The Wales Events Recycling Project has worked with over 100 events attracting over 3.5 million visitors between them, diverting over 35 tonnes of material from landfill for recycling. Events have included the Royal Welsh Show, Eisteddfods, and local authority events as well as smaller-scale community events. Location Cylch is the Wales Community Recycling Network. It provides information, advice and support to over 70 members across Wales. Rationale The Welsh Government began funding Events Recycling in 2006 working with Waste Awareness Wales to fund an events recycling guide. Cylch re-wrote the original recycling guide published by the Welsh Government in This guide is available on both Cylch and Waste Awareness Wales (WAW) web and offers 1 simple and cost-effective ways for events organisers to implement recycling. Cylch offers a service to help organise and implement best practice event recycling systems in Wales in partnership with event organisers, local authorities and community sector partners The service includes provision of RotG units infrastructure items such as: Bins large and small Labels for bins indicating which materials are to be collected Flags to indicate the location of recycling bins Large promotional signs which can be placed around the event site the fact there is a recycling scheme in operation. In recent years Cylch has worked within Wales at events such as the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show, the National Eisteddfod, and the Ryder Cup, which was held in the Celtic Manor, Newport in page 70

71 Scheme overview Cylch leases RotG units to events. Depending on the type and focus of recycling at events, the number of units provided by Cylch for use on site will differ. For example, an event may focus on recycling purely in catering areas or in the main event arena. Cylch will work with the event organisers to devise a plan for the number of RotG units and locations to ensure effective management of recycling on site. At the Royal Welsh show in , Cylch worked with the event organisers and employed a team of 40 Recycling Wardens to educate the visitors about the recycling schemes in place and also to empty RotG units. At the National Eisteddfod, Cylch worked with both the Eisteddfod and the waste management contractor. Cylch recommends that recycling is discussed with both the waste management contractor, and the event organisers to ensure that a complete service can be provided. Planning Recycling units are available for collection of all materials. Cylch recommends the introduction of recycling on the event agenda as early as possible during event planning - for the Ryder Cup this was 2 years in advance of the event. This ensures that everyone involved in planning the event agrees with and fully supports the proposed scheme so that any changes in policy or operating procedures are implemented and supported. When waste and recycling contracts are being awarded, in particular those for ROTG, Cylch suggests assessing the possible materials that will be generated on site and which to target for recycling. Typically, this is plastic bottles, drinks cans and paper / thin cardboard drinks cups and paper food wrappings. Specifying that only certain materials are used can support waste prevention and waste elimination on site and improve recycling capture rates. For example, an event could ban all glass on site, and/or request catering contractors to use biodegradable containers for food that can be recycled with the food waste. Figure 1 Recyclable food packaging used by catering at the Ryder Cup, Celtic Manor, Figure 2 Marketing logo used by the Ryder Cup to advertise recycling on site. page 71

72 Containers Table 1 Details of containers provided by Cylch as part of their Events Recycling Project Number of containers Type of container Container capacity (litres) 240 Make of container Cost per container Waste streams segregated Special features 130 bins in stock to lease Wheeled bin and some corrugated plastic bins that are less robust Shaeffer, Straight, MDRC (Tuffbins) Group Ltd approximately Ryder Cup purchased bins, Cylch then bought these off the Ryder Cup after the event at a reduced cost Bins are purchased without lids and Cylch provide tarpaulin covers for bins with circular aperture (see front cover photograph) Cans, plastic bottles, cardboard, paper, glass, food waste Branded Recycle for Wales and bilingual text Signage Tarpaulins for use on recycling units were originally funded through sponsorship from Marks & Spencer to design oil drum tarpaulin covers for use at Royal Welsh show. Oil drums were used as waste bins at the show and after the event the tarpaulins were adapted for use on wheeled bins. The tarpaulins use bilingual text and are branded with Recycle Now / Recycle for Wales iconography. Capital expenditure The Welsh Government provided an infrastructure budget from to purchase the recycling units. Cylch now offers these items as a lease scheme for events to hire recycling units. The hire charge depends on the type of event, and how many units are required etc. Cylch is charged an annual rent to store bins at one of Cylch s members in mid and west Wales. The transport cost of moving bins from storage to an event is charged as part of the lease cost to the event. Tarpaulin / bin covers are washable, and the event organiser is responsible for returning them in the same condition in which they were delivered. In the past, Cylch has had to pay for the tarpaulins to be cleaned after a particularly muddy event. Collection and storage The for collection and storage of recyclable materials collected through the Events Recycling Scheme depend on the waste management contract that has been secured by the event organisers, which in turn is dependent on the local infrastructure and services available. Communication At events it is important for visitors, stakeholders and funders to be aware of what is being done to green the event. An example of effective communication is at the Royal Welsh Agriculture show. Initially, the Events Recycling Project was promoted by Waste Awareness Wales. At the time they were members of the Wales Event Recycling Project steering group that met with representatives of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society. In return for providing the recycling schemes, the Society gave the Project a page in the Show s programme and an exhibition space in the Countryside Care area of the Showground. page 72

73 WAW also devised press releases for MRW and other waste management trade press and publications. At the Ryder Cup, sustainability and recycling vignettes (video montages) were shown on television screens. The following were also used to promote recycling: Bin covers Waste stewards standing next to bins (local volunteers/members of CIWM Wales) to educate visitors on the schemes in place and to ensure minimal contamination of the containers. Performance, contamination and monitoring Contamination varies depending on the type of event, and the number of people that attend. Cylch suggests that the use of recycling stewards can help to reduce contamination by educating visitors to events. To ensure minimal contamination, it is recommended that litter bins are placed alongside recycling units. Visitors will not go looking for an alternative bin if they ve got, for example, a crisp packet to dispose of and the only bin they can see is for plastic bottles. Lessons learned Event RotG is different to RotG in other public places: Event recycling has different aspects to consider e.g. type of recycling, size of site etc. Events are not held in the same place every year - e.g. the National Eisteddfod relocates each year and alternates between north and south Wales. Each site that is hosting an event will require a visit up-front at the beginning of the event planning to discuss and plan the recycling infrastructure. The key is for decisions about recycling to be considered as early as possible within the event planning phase, ensuring that the correct are provided to capture material produced on site. Cylch recommends that the event takes ownership by including recycling in the onsite waste management contract. For large events this can be considered as part of the procurement and tendering stages for events goods and service providers. Acknowledgements Many thanks go to Ruth Llewellyn for providing the information for this case study. Ease of monitoring the performance of a scheme will be affected by the made with the waste management contract that has been secured by the event organisers. Some waste management contractors may be able to provide exact weights of material collected for recycling, while other events may rely on a tally of the number of bags of material collected and a method way of attributing average weights to bags. In 2008 at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show, over 1 tonne of cans was collected for recycling, and almost 3 tonnes of plastic bottles. page 73

74 APPENDIX 1 Recycle on The Go Technical Guidance September 2012 CASE STUDY RECYCLING ON THE GO EDINBURGH AIRPORT RotG are helping Edinburgh airport to achieve high targets for recycling. This case study describes the RotG at Edinburgh Airport, including an overview of the scheme, the rationale, planning stages and container details. Location Edinburgh is Scotland s fastest growing airport, dominated by domestic flights with a growing number of international destinations. Edinburgh had 9.4 million passengers in Rationale Airports experience high volumes of pedestrian traffic coupled with a high density of retail and food outlets; this combination creates high levels of litter within a confined area. Corporate social responsibility is important to Edinburgh airport. In 2012, it has a target to segregate and divert 80% of all waste generated from landfill by recycling and anaerobic digestion. In addition, Edinburgh airport recognises that diverting more waste from landfill is contributing to reduced waste management. Scheme overview Recycling on the Go (RotG) containers were installed at Edinburgh in 2010 in the terminal building. Edinburgh has a two-bin system inside the terminal one bin for general waste and the other for recycling. The recycling containers collect commingled recyclables. These are located next to existing general waste bins wherever possible and as space permits. The recycling containers are sited in areas of the highest footfall: at the main entrance, departures and just before security. Glass is collected separately from the retailers who produce waste glass from drinks. Glass is also confiscated from passengers at the central search point, where items are surrendered, emptied and recycled. Plastic bottles are also collected at this point. Edinburgh has been reviewing its RotG with the aim of increasing passenger recycling. The management hopes to achieve this by increasing segregated collection of recyclates, decreasing contamination and decreasing passenger confusion around the use of containers. In 2012, Edinburgh airport will be revamping all the recycling containers to follow Recycle for Scotland communication guidelines. Moving forward, Edinburgh may consider updating all its RotG containers, bearing in mind security considerations. Planning BAA has a Design Performance Standard for Airport Bins, which Edinburgh currently adheres to. This sets out detailed requirements: including being able to sustain intense use; having a high quality visual appearance; being readily maintainable and cleanable; being portable and meeting manual handling regulations; and being colour-coded according to WRAP conventions. page 74

75 A particular issue for the airport is to ensure that the recycling and litter bins are not used in terrorist activities. Previously, the advice given to combat terrorism was to avoid providing bins in areas where large numbers of people congregate, such as transport hubs. The Aviation Security in Airport Developments (ASIAD) provides recommendations on the positioning and structure of bins. It recommends that bins are not used, as they provide a means of concealment but advises that where they are required the bin should not make a blast situation worse. Edinburgh containers The RotG containers are located in busy areas; Figure 1 gives an example and Table 1 gives further details. The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) provides advice on basic security measures to reduce the risks of bins being used for terrorist activity. The advice includes considering blast-resistant containers, the location of any containers, servicing regimes, and the use of clear plastic bag liners. Clear containers, available from a number of manufacturers, can also be considered. The CPNI has carried out a number of tests on bins and allocated each a rating. It is up to the airport to decide on the standard and suitability of the bins they install. The BAA design performance standard requires that containers comply with ASIAD requirements. As such, all the Edinburgh containers are compliant for bomb blast protection. They also have a servicing regime where containers are emptied regularly. The RotG are designed to collect paper, plastics and cans as the most commonly found waste streams. These waste streams occur as a result of the products sold by the retail outlets. Some textiles are also found in the waste stream, thought to be the result of passengers repacking overweight luggage. A recent twoweek waste review was carried out on all waste generated within the terminal. This identified that 65% of waste is mixed recycling, 32% is general waste, 2% food waste, 1% glass and less than 1% paper. Edinburgh will be targeting the 32% of general waste to separate out more recyclable materials. A barrier identified when planning the installation of the recycling containers is the lack of international standardised iconography for recycling, which would be understood by visitors from all countries. BAA had to consider how to communicate well to visitors with a limited knowledge of the English language. Part of the reason that the he Recycle Now, and now Recycle for Scotland, iconography has been adopted is because they combine both a visual icon and words. Figure 1 Edinburgh airport indoor RotG containers located at the terminal. page 75

76 Table 1 Details of Edinburgh airport indoor RotG containers Number of containers Type of container Container capacity (litres) c.80 Cost per container Waste streams segregated Special features (landside) 29 (airside) Metal round, single top opening Plastic, paper, cans Blast proof Signage In areas of high footfall, and with fast moving pedestrian traffic, it is imperative that recycling containers are clearly signed and material streams easy to see. In Edinburgh, the containers have the Recycle Now iconography. These will be revamped in 2012 with Recycle for Scotland iconography; this will include more icons on the general waste bin rather than the current single symbol. Edinburgh is also considering how to make containers more visible in the current review of RotG, as it looks to upgrade containers in the future. Collection and storage At Edinburgh, all containers are emptied as part of the cleaning contract. Generally, due to security concerns, containers will be emptied on an hourly basis at a minimum. There is only one service area. Cleaners transfer sacks to this area using trolleys or wheeled cages. The service area contains two compactors one for residual and one for co-mingled recyclates (plastic, paper and cans), a cardboard baler, glass collection containers and a textiles container. Shanks is contracted to provide general waste, recycling collections and treatment at Edinburgh airport. Recently Edinburgh has contracted with Specialist Waste Recycling (SWR) to manage waste on-site. SWR are acting as a waste broker and are responsible for over-seeing waste collections, invoicing and monthly reporting. SWR has been able to increase the segregation of waste for recycling at the service areas a result of reorganising the site, providing containers for more segregated waste streams and appointing two permanent on-site members of staff. communication SWR provides Edinburgh with monthly reports on recycling as a result of onsite segregation and overall diversion from landfill. It has produced a range of communications for airport staff to promote and reinforce the for waste management. Monthly meetings and regular recycling reports help to keep everyone informed of progress and to review performance against targets. Performance and contamination Edinburgh airport has seen year on year improvement in recycling performance. From a 41% recycling rate in 2010, to more than 65%, exceeded the 50% recycling target. A recycling target of 80% has been set for 2012, with year to date figures suggesting Edinburgh is achieving 67% recycling. Contamination is monitored by the waste contractor and no significant problems have been identified. Previously, no action was taken on-site to remove contamination and cleaning staff judged if materials should be placed in the residual or recycling compactors. SWR on-site members of staff now help to determine if material is suitable for recycling and will remove large items of contamination. As a result, the amount of waste being placed in the residual compactor has reduced. Edinburgh airport is now reviewing residual waste collection to see if the number of collections can be reduced with an associated reduction in. Edinburgh airport has found that the largest contamination issue is as a result of liquid from coffee cups - the liquids potentially contaminate all the material in a recycling sack. SWR is currently conducting a study to monitor the level of contamination per bag collected from the recycling containers, to get a better assessment of the level of contamination and the type of material that is causing the contamination. Results so far indicate that 16% of bags removed from the recycling containers are contaminated with liquids. page 76

77 Lessons learned Edinburgh has an Environment and Sustainability Manager who has overall responsibility for managing waste and improving recycling rates. Having dedicated members of staff is key to effectively increasing recycling rates and reducing waste management. Edinburgh has seen particular benefits from having on-site staff in the service yard to ensure containers are used correctly, segregation is maximised and there is communication to all users on correct disposal of waste. Acknowledgements With thanks to Julie McKinney, Environment and Sustainability Manager at Edinburgh airport. Standardising the iconography has helped to communicate a common message to passengers and other visitors. The use of the Recycle Now iconography, which includes visual icons, has helped to identify the use of the to non-english speakers. However, surveys indicate that passengers are still confused about the use of the containers and there are contamination issues. Edinburgh is reviewing the existing provision with key considerations being selecting containers with: apertures that prevent the disposal of large items; highly visible signage; and clear colour coding and iconography. Edinburgh is also considering how to deal with coffee cup contamination and whether to change to greater segregation of recyclables. page 77

78 CASE STUDY RECYCLING ON THE GO GLASGoW CITY COUNCIL Recycle on The Go Technical Guidance September 2012 Installation of RotG is supported by Glasgow Council s waste strategy and the are helping the council to increase recycling rates across the city. This case study describes the RotG within Glasgow including an overview of the scheme, the rationale, planning stages and container details. Location Glasgow City Council (GCC) is the largest council in Scotland with almost 600,000 residents 1. Glasgow city attracted over two million visitors in 2010 with 24% of visitors from overseas 2. Recycling on the Go (RotG) in Glasgow is currently focused on the city centre, which has an annual footfall of around seventeen million. With new funding, the council is expanding the within the city centre, as well as extending into the city s major parks, which between them attract nine million visitors per annum. Rationale GCC produced a waste strategy in 2009, which included an intention to provide more recycling away from home containers within the city. In addition, the Council is leading the Clean Glasgow campaign with a goal to make Glasgow and every neighbourhood within it a cleaner, safer place. This is built on a partnership with communities and a shared responsibility for the environment, whether at home, school or work. Providing additional containers for recycling within the city centre and parks will help to compliment the aims of Clean Glasgow. 1 National Records of Scotland (Feb 2012) Glasgow City Council Area Demographic Factsheet 2 Visit Scotland (2011) Scotland Visitor Survey 2011 Scheme overview GCC launched RotG in April 2008 in the city centre. The main aim is to tackle away from home waste and to increase recycling rates through facilitating recycling within the city centre. Initially, fourteen Rescape containers were installed at throughout the city centre. In 2010, twenty split-bin containers were added, sited within George Square and the surrounding streets. In 2012, with funding from Zero Waste Scotland, Glasgow will expand the RotG in the city centre and will add within parks. An additional one hundred RotG containers will be installed in the city centre. Eighty RotG containers will also be installed in six of Glasgow s parks: Glasgow Botanic Gardens, Glasgow Green, Bellahouston Park, Kelvingrove Park, Queens Park and Pollok Park. By increasing the number of recycling containers in some of the busiest footfall areas within the city the council is aiming to increase the public awareness of RotG and provide additional opportunities to recycle. Planning The materials that are collected for recycling match those collected in the council s kerbside service. As a result, a high number of potential users will already be familiar with the materials that can be accepted. page 78

79 An audit of the city centre and parks was completed to identify locations for the new containers. The aim is to maintain the density of litter and RotG containers while greatly increasing the capacity for recycling versus litter collection. The new containers were selected by the Waste and Recycling team in consultation with the Neighbourhood Services section. The containers have been selected to be durable in public areas experiencing high levels of footfall. Contamination has been high in the installed split-bin containers, therefore, a different style of recycling container has been chosen for the new. Collection and aesthetics were the main considerations in determining the look and capacity of the new containers. Due to their large size, the Rescape containers could not be located in highly visible locations at the request of the Planning department. With this in mind, the style of the new containers has been chosen to be no larger than the existing litter bins, to enable them to be placed in high visibility locations. A mini-refuse vehicle will be used for collection because the new containers will be located in pedestrianised zones and other areas with limited accessibility. The containers are small enough to avoid any manual handling issues when the metal liners are emptied manually by operatives into the collection vehicle. Figure 1 City centre Rescape - existing on-street RotG containers. Glasgow City Council existing external containers The RotG external containers currently used in Glasgow are shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2; Table 1 gives technical details. Figure 2 City centre split-bin existing on-street RotG containers. page 79

80 Table 1 Details of existing Glasgow external on-street RotG containers City centre (Rescape) Number of containers Type of container Container capacity (litres) Metal housing with wheeled bin x 80 Make of container Taylors Broxap Cost per container Waste streams segregated Supplied by sponsorship partners Paper, cans, plastic bottles City centre (split-bins) Double Derby Slimline 500 Paper, cans, plastic bottles, litter Special features Brushes on apertures Metal liner, split bin Glasgow City Council planned external containers Details of the planned additional external containers are given in Figure 3 and Table 2. Table 2 Details of additional Glasgow City Council external on-street RotG containers Number of containers 180 Type of container Container capacity (litres) 120 Make of container Galvanised steel, Wybone peat Wybone Cost per container 250 Waste streams segregated Special features Paper, cans, plastic, card Metal liner, aperture to accept co-mingled material, anti-graffiti paint Signage All the current containers and planned containers are blue in colour. This is similar to the colour of the containers used for the kerbside collection of co-mingled dry recyclate from domestic premises. This will enable the households to identify the recycling containers with existing recycling collections and to distinguish between the RotG containers and the traditional black litter bins. Signage is also used on all containers to highlight which materials are accepted. All signage on the new containers will follow Recycle for Scotland guidelines and will also incorporate the Recycle for Glasgow logo. Figure 3 Glasgow City Council planned additional external on-street RotG containers. Capital expenditure The capital expenditure, in addition to the container, consists of communication materials and container installation. The main communication associated with the introduction of the new containers will be for street furniture advertising e.g. bus shelters, banners for park railings and decals for the event containers. The containers will be fixed on a concrete plinth, which makes them secure and less likely to be knocked over - however, installation in this way does involve some cost. page 80

81 Collection and storage The existing split-bin RotG containers are emptied once a day to minimise the chance of material overflowing from the containers. The existing Rescape containers have a much greater capacity and are only emptied once a week. The new RotG containers will be emptied once a day. Monitoring sheets will be completed, modelled on those that have been used for the Rescape containers. The monitoring data will be reviewed and collection frequency changed if required. In particular, the number of visitors to the parks increases during the spring and summer months and collection frequency will be regularly reviewed. The material from the containers will be transferred to a mini-refuse collection vehicle using a crew of a driver and two operatives. The council has recently installed a vehicle tracking system onto the fleet of refuse collection vehicles and this may be used on the collection vehicle emptying the RotG containers to optimise the collection route. Glasgow City Council has its own MRF. The commingled dry recyclate collected from the RotG containers is taken to this facility for separation, with other recyclate collected via the household collection schemes and public collection point service. Material collected from the new RotG containers in the parks may first be transferred to a central point in the park/local cleansing depot for onward transportation to the MRF. Residuals from the council MRF are taken to a private sector MRF for processing to minimise the waste sent to landfill and maximise the recyclate recovered. The Glasgow council litter bins and RotG containers are cleaned using a power wash. communication Weekly monitoring sheets are completed for the Rescape containers by the collection crew to identify fill levels. All the new containers will be monitored in a similar way but information will also be recorded on the number of containers emptied and the presence of contamination. Glasgow participates in the Local Environmental Audit and Management Systems (LEAMS) performance indicator for street cleanliness. The introduction of the RotG containers within the city centre will contribute to the monitoring regime for this indicator. Similarly, Glasgow Community Safety Services (GCSS) uses an intelligent mapping system called Glasgow Local Environmental Audit and Monitoring System (GLEAMS) which, through neighbourhood improvement volunteers, collates data on environmental quality for an area, including litter. The introduction of the RotG containers will assist GCSS in recording information within the areas they are located. In order to promote the new containers being installed, the council intends to undertake the following communication campaign: Education and awareness staff: the Community Action Team (CAT) will promote the new services during visits to schools, community council meetings and events. Zero Waste Volunteers will also promote the service at events. Internet and social media: the council website RotG page will be updated with relevant information. Twitter will be utilised to post messages and link to the website. Press coverage: a press release linking with the Clean Glasgow campaign and an article in the council magazine. Advertisements: adverts will be placed in the adshel advertising system within city centre, a press release, railings in parks and any style mile promotions. Campaigns: the council will promote the containers during Recycle Week 2012 and via any Clean Glasgow campaigns. The monitoring and communication activity will be used to assess behavior change. At events/visits attended by the CAT, members of the public will be asked if they are aware of the RotG containers and if this has motivated them to use the. Performance and contamination An average of 290kg of recyclate is collected from each of the existing Glasgow Recycles containers per month 3. There is currently no performance data for the split-bin containers. The weight is estimated based on the fill level recorded in the monitoring sheets and using a weight/volume conversion factor. 3 Average taken over 12 months in page 81

82 Contamination is an issue in the split-bins and as a result recycling is not being maximised. It is thought that the distinction between recycling and residual litter bin is not understood by all users. The recyclate collected from the new containers will be closely monitored as outlined above. The tonnage will be recorded on spreadsheets and reported as part of the council s quarterly submission to SEPA by means of the Waste Data Flow system. The co-mingled recyclate collected is sent to the same end markets as the material collected within the current household collection systems. Lessons learned The implementation of RotG in Glasgow has been assisted by senior management commitment as well as a stated commitment in the Waste Strategy. The planning of new RotG should be a collaborative process involving the council departments responsible for waste, recycling, street cleaning and planning. This joined-up approach will help to identify the most suitable locations for the containers and ensure that the containers selected are fit for purpose. The council is moving to stand-alone dedicated RotG containers to minimise the amount of contamination. These will be positioned between and within site of the litter bins (co-located). It is anticipated that this arrangement will reduce the potential for contamination. The introduction of monitoring sheets for all the containers, together with a dedicated crew, will greatly improve the information available on container use and reduce contamination. The information will be used to take targeted steps to address any issues identified. Appropriate risk assessment and training ensures operatives have the required skills to manage the collection of recyclables from the containers. Prior to collecting from any containers, all operatives receive training to ensure they are familiar with all the style of containers and the methods used to empty them. Operatives are also made aware that they should report any vandalism/malfunction, or any other potential hazards associated with the container to their supervisor. Acknowledgements With thanks to Scott Armstrong, Recycling Strategy Manager, Glasgow City Council. page 82

83 CASE STUDY RECYCLING ON THE GO The Royal BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH Recycle on The Go Technical Guidance September 2012 Location The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is a world-renowned centre for plant science and education located in the heart of Edinburgh. A total of 707,244 visitors were recorded in an increase of more than 21 per cent on the previous year. Rationale RBGE has an ethos of good environmental practice and sustainability. The Environmental Policy, produced in 2004, made a commitment to implement the waste hierarchy wherever possible. The installation of Recycling on the Go (RotG) units was identified as a solution to both increase recycling and educate visitors about resource management. This new approach to waste management in the gardens was also seen as necessary in light of the annual increases being seen in footfall. Scheme overview Recycling units are in place outside in busy areas of the garden. Outside recycling units were installed to replace the existing 60 litter bins around the site. The new outside units include provision for residual waste alongside recyclates. There is also paper cup recycling located externally at one of the cafes. Planning Catering contractors are asked to respect the RBGE s policy of using environmentally-friendly and sustainable packaging as part of their contract. Contractors must use cardboard boxes, supply cold drinks in cans and use specified cups for hot drinks. Decisions on the types of waste streams to collect were based on the amount of waste generated, consultation with the cleaning staff and assessment of the products on sale on site. The waste types found to be most commonly occurring were those used in packaging from on-site food outlets. The RotG containers were selected to enable collection of these materials alongside residual waste. When installing the outdoor units, the RBGE had to consider which design would be squirrel, fox, pigeon and weather proof, contain large volumes of waste, could be easily maintained by cleaning staff and be eye catching yet appropriate to its setting. A range of containers were considered and rejected on the basis of weatherproofing and size before the final containers were selected. Paper cups were found to make up the bulk of the East Gate s coffee bar waste. Discussions took place with Zero Waste Scotland to find a suitable container to segregate paper cups, along with the plastic lids and waste liquids. Discussions were also held with the RBGE s waste contractors to identify collections for the materials segregated. Changeworks agreed to recycle the cups, as well as the plastic lids, alongside their existing the paper and cardboard collection. page 83

84 Outdoor containers The outdoor RotG containers are located at busy spots near cafes, entrances to buildings, benches and toilets (see Figure 1 for example). Table 1 gives technical details for the outdoor containers. Outdoor cup recycling container The recycling unit is located externally next to a café area (see Figure 2 for example). Table 2 gives technical details for the container. Figure 1 RBGE outdoor RotG containers located at a busy area of the garden. Table 1 Details of outdoor RotG containers Number of containers Type of container Container capacity (litres) Make of container Seven Cost per bin 900 Waste streams segregated Special features Metal 4 sided unit, 4 hinge flaps, accommodates four wheelie bins 4 x 240 litre wheelie bin Broxap BX45 SEPR8 Cans, plastic bottles and general waste Signage panel with custom graphics Figure 2 RBGE outdoor paper cup RotG container. Table 2 Details of outdoor paper cup RotG containers Number of containers 1 Type of container Single sided, 2 hinge flaps, receptacle for liquids Container capacity (litres) 3 x 60 litre liners Make of container Broxap single-sided SEPR8-60-S3 Cost per bin 750 Waste streams segregated Paper cups, plastic lids, waste liquids Special features Shallow liquid reservoir. Any liquid collected disposed of via the drainage system. page 84

85 Signage The Visitor Services Department designed signage for both the indoor and outdoor bins. Colours and images are consistent across the site. The signage has recently been updated to be consistent with the Recycle Now iconography. Capital expenditure There are occasional additional maintenance for replacement, extra units and signage. Collection and storage The contract in place requires the cleaning staff to keep the recycling containers maintained to a high standard. Staff keep the containers and area around the containers clean and empty when required. Generally the containers are checked and emptied once a day during the winter and are checked up to three times a day during the summer. RBGE staff can report any issues to the Support Services Manager. Liner bags are lifted from the wheelie bins manually and moved to the storage yard using an electronic buggy. In the storage area the materials are collected in larger storage containers for subsequent removal by the waste contractor. The waste contractor collects material directly from the storage yard on a fortnightly basis. communication RBGE have requested monthly reports from the waste contractor on the kilograms of material collected and the tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent diverted as a result of recycling the material. The waste contractor provides total figures for recycling from the Garden including office recycling and RotG. RBGE will be introducing a monitoring system for the bins to gain greater understanding of much each of the containers is used. This activity will also provide data on the volume of recycling directly relating to RotG. Anecdotally, RBGE understands that three of the recycling containers are used more than the others in the gardens. These containers are located at the busiest hubs of the garden: the educational area, next to the terrace café and at the visitor centre. Education staff encourage visiting groups to use the recycling bins and identify where they are marked on the visitors map. The Primary Education Officer, who works directly with school groups, works with the school children to teach them about recycling and encourages them to segregate their packed lunches. Performance and contamination RBGE estimate that their current recycling rate is approximately 30%; future planned monitoring will provide more robust data on performance. Some contamination is being found, particularly in the bin used for the paper cup recycling. Cleaners help reduce contamination by segregating the waste further behind the scenes where a small amount of contamination is found. If a bag has become very contaminated the whole bag is placed with the residual waste. Lessons learned and future steps The Garden has found that it is important to install adequate capacity and to regularly review capacity to ensure it is sufficient. Initially four recycling units were installed to replace the site litter bins. When litter levels started to rise the number of recycling hubs was increased to seven. RBGE are introducing processes to gather data on the use of the recycling containers and the tonnage diverted to recycling. This data can be used to monitor the effectiveness of the and improvements made to the overall recycling rate. In addition, information can be provided to visitors about recycling levels, the part that they play in helping to improve this and how it ties in with the Garden s environmental policy. page 85

86 Additional signage and information on recycling may be provided in the future to further promote the services to visitors. It is important for RBGE to balance the benefits of information provision against the becoming too visually intrusive. In the future recycling containers will be introduced internally at the visitor centre to expand provision of at the busiest part of the gardens. Based on experience with outdoor bins there is a recognised requirement for the bins to be high quality, long lasting and visually appealing and appropriate in the context of the visitor centre. RBGE are participating in a WRAP and Zero Waste Scotland national programme of research on RotG that will contribute to the production of national guidance later in This is a large-scale project in England, Scotland and Wales to fill gaps in data relating to the on the go waste stream in the UK, including: what the waste stream contains; how it can best be managed; understanding behavioural issues; and what communications work. The results of the research will be a key resource in developing RotG guidance providing information on, different options/models, partnership opportunities and case studies. Acknowledgements With thanks to Kate Hughes, Horticultural Project Officer Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. RBGE have introduced RotG to support their Environmental Policy and educate visitors about resource management. This case study describes the RotG at the RBGE including an overview of the scheme, the rationale, planning stages and container details. page 86

87 CASE STUDY RECYCLING ON THE GO NEVIS RANGE MOUNTAIN EXPERIENCE Recycle on The Go Technical Guidance September 2012 Rationale Due to the landscape in which the Nevis Range is set, the resort has a long standing environmental commitment to protect its surroundings, and encourage visitors from all walks of life to enjoy the mountain experience while minimising their lasting impact on the landscape. The management company responsible for the Nevis Range is committed to a yearly Green Action Plan, with six or seven environmental targets set annually. Establishing Recycling On The Go (RotG) was set as an action in 2008 and the company has a commitment to continue to improve access to recycling and educate visitors about recycling. Nevis Range Mountain Experience uses RotG as part of a long-term commitment to improve access to recycling and educate visitors about recycling. This case study describes the RotG at the Nevis Range Mountain Experience including an overview of the schemes, the rationale, planning stages and container details. Location The Nevis Range Mountain Experience (the Nevis Range) is located near Fort William in the Highlands. The resort welcomes visitors all year round for a variety of activities including snow sports, mountaineering, gondola rides, a high wire adventure course, forest walks and world class mountain biking events. The resort has a café at the gondola base station as well as a restaurant, bar and shopping at the top station. Footfall varies considerably according to the season, with higher numbers visiting during the summer months; footfall in the summer is c.149,000 while in the winter is c.50,000. Scheme overview The company has been recycling waste for many years but recycling containers were first introduced for the public in 2008 and provision across the site has grown year on year. The recycling containers have been positioned in areas with the highest footfall, e.g. in cafes, the car park and by the gondola stations. Plastic bottles, glass and cans are all separated at source. In 2011 existing were upgraded and extended. Planning Measures have been taken by the management company to ensure that the product packaging sold on site can be recycled as far as possible. This step helps to maximise the proportion of waste that can be recycled using the containers provided. No glass products are sold directly to customers at the top station; any drinks purchased in glass bottles are poured directly into glasses at the point of sale. Glass containers are then separately collected back of house including segregation in different colours. Locating recycling containers at the top level gondola station presents a particular challenge for servicing; all of the recyclate collected, at the highest point in the UK, page 87

88 must be brought down in the gondolas by staff. This logistical difficulty is managed by ensuring daily collections to minimises the amount needing transfer by staff. The Nevis Range residual waste contractor was unwilling to collect the recyclates due to the low volumes involved. To get around this, Nevis Range obtained permission from Highland Council to deposit segregated waste at a community recycling point and in 2000 the resort obtained a waste carrier s license which allows them to transport recyclate. The licence is issued by Highland Council as part of their Bring Recycling Scheme for Commercial Customers and a limit is set at 1100 litres per week. In practice this proved too onerous for glass and cardboard and the company was able to organised getting these materials uplifted by the waste contractor. The Nevis Range hosts one off events which attract a high level of footfall; the most significant of these is the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup which attracts 18,000 spectators over a weekend. The level of waste generated would overwhelm the normal day to day. Special have been made with Highland Council for these events enabling the resort to borrow wheelie bins for residual waste and recyclate collection. Due to the volumes involved the waste contractors collects the recyclates produced from these events. Indoor containers The indoor RotG containers are located at busy spots next to existing residual waste containers within the gondola stations and restaurants. Figure 1 illustrates the original containers used for plastic bottles and the containers which are now in place. The new containers use Recycle for Scotland iconography and collect both plastic bottles and cans. Table 1 gives technical details for the current containers. Figure 1 Nevis Range indoor plastic RotG containers located in Pinemartin cafe. Table 1 Details of Nevis Range indoor RotG containers Number of containers 4 Type of container Container capacity (litres) c.50 Plastic, single top opening Make of container Glasdon, Nexus 50 Cost per container Waste streams segregated c. 85 Plastic, cans, glass Outdoor containers The Nevis Range has introduced one set of outdoor recycling containers for mixed plastic bottles, cans and glass at the gondola station and the car park (see Figure 2). Table 2 gives technical details for the containers. page 88

89 Capital expenditure Additional containers are being purchased to expand recycling as resources allow. Table 2 Details of Nevis Range outdoor RotG containers Number of containers Type of container Container capacity (litres) Make of container Cost per container Waste streams segregated Figure 2 Nevis Range outdoor RotG containers located at the car park. 1 location with 3 containers Plastic, single opening 240 litre Glasdon c. 200 Plastic, cans, glass Signage The initial containers installed were colour coded with signage produced in-house. The company has now re-branded all to follow the Recycle for Scotland iconography. The additional wheelie bins for large scale events, given their temporary nature and the high cost of producing signage professionally, use signage produced in-house. The Nevis Range plans to create artwork using the Recycle for Scotland resources and print and laminate signs that can be stuck onto the bins and reused whenever necessary. Collection and storage The containers are monitored regularly and emptied daily. The containers are emptied more frequently if required. Recyclates collected at the top station are transferred to the bottom station by staff using the gondolas. All recycled material is stored in large capacity wheelie bins at a recycling compound at the back of the bottom gondola hall. Staff at Nevis Range colour segregate the glass collected within the recycling compound. One waste contractor collects plastic, aluminium and cans on a weekly basis. A separate waste contractor collects the colour separated glass. Any additional recyclates are transferred a the Council recycling point by staff at the Nevis Range using a pickup. Recyclates collected during the UCI World Cup and other large events are collected by the waste contractor used for residual waste collection. communication Currently the volume and tonnage of recyclates collected is not monitored; this is something that the resort aims to put in place in the future. Currently the waste contractor is not able to provide details of the tonnage collected because the collection is included on a collection route taking in other. The Nevis Range is developing a material stream journey display that will feature as part of their staff training on the importance of RotG. The display will then appear in the main gondola station as a reminder to visitors of how important it is to protect the habitat they are enjoying today for the future. page 89