A special event organised by Perth & Kinross Council in partnership with Waste Aware Scotland was recently held at Perth College to raise awareness among staff and students of waste-related issues and the benefits of reducing, reusing and recycling waste.
Officers from Perth & Kinross Council were on hand to provide further information and answer queries from staff and students about the Council's waste awareness work including the 'Use Me Again' campaign which encourages the public to swap plastic carrier bags for reusable cotton bags when shopping, and the new A-Z Reduce, Reuse, Recycle guide which provides up-to-date information on recycling facilities available in Perth and Kinross and ways to manage waste. Details of various community-based recycling initiatives operating locally were also available.
In addition, the event featured information on a range of national campaigns from Waste Aware Scotland including:
- Love food Hate Waste
(www.wasteawarelovefood.org.uk)- this campaign aims to help reduce the £889million worth of food wasted in Scotland each year.
- Home Composting
(www.wasteawarescotland.org.uk/html/compost.asp) - supported by the Scottish Government, the campaign offers a range of compost bins at reduced prices.
- Unwanted Mail
(www.wasteawareunwantedmail.org.uk) - promoting five ways that you can reduce the amount of unwanted mail you receive and benefit the environment.
- Waste Aware Campus
(www.wasteawarecampus.org.uk) - resources provided aim to help staff and students at Scotland's colleges and universities introduce and promote effective waste prevention initiatives.
The Perth & Kinross Real Nappy Network (PKRNN) were also present to encourage people to use real nappies and reduce the number of disposable nappies that are sent to landfill each year.
Environment Convener, Councillor Alan Grant commented:
"Events such as this help to further engage the public and raise awareness of the need to reduce, reuse and recycle. In turn, they contribute to improving the way waste is managed in the Perth and Kinross area."
The event also helped to promote the college’s commitment to improving the awareness of waste management and coincided with the introduction of the first of the college’s new recycling bins for plastic bottles, cans and paper. Isobel Smith, a member of the Sustainability Committee at Perth College said:
"We were all pleased with the format of the day; it created interest amongst staff and students and we certainly hope to build on this success."
For more information on recycling and reducing waste, visit the Council website at
www.pkc.gov.uk/recycle. For more information about real nappies, go to
www.pkrnn.org.uk
