Towards Zero Podcast - how to end the climate crisis by wasting less

...we hear how Scottish takeaways and their customers are wasting less and spending less as they go beyond the latest ban on throwaway plastic to help save the planet and their pocket.

Alvaro Bernabeu tells us why he’s always charged a deposit for his paella pans. Now he’s saving cash as well as carbon by trialling deposits for other reusable tubs and cups at his restaurant in Edinburgh’s Portobello under Zero Waste Scotland’s Ditching Disposables scheme to help businesses nationwide make the best change for them and the planet.

Zero Waste Scotland’s communications partner Catherine Bozec explains the ban in more detail, and why we should all ditch all disposables and choose to reuse everything wherever possible, from cups to clothes and computers.

Greenpeace UK plastic campaigner Maja Darlington tells us all about the Big Plastic Count revealing how much we waste at home to help persuade governments and big businesses take more action.

Find out more:

Zero Waste Scotland provides a range of free expert advice and information to help everyone waste less to cut the carbon emissions behind the climate crisis.  For more on the single-use plastic ban click here.

The Ditching Disposables scheme is funded by Zero Waste Scotland and run by Changeworks to help food outlets in Edinburgh go beyond the latest ban on single-use plastic by choosing products which are made to last. Under the scheme, firms are trying out different ways to switch to reusable alternatives, including a deposit return scheme for cups and tubs. We will share information and updates on different approaches to help businesses nationwide make the best changes for them and the planet. Find out more here.

Research by Zero Waste Scotland has found that the average Scot gets through more than twice the amount of materials they need to live both sustainably and well. Read our Material Flow Accounts summary and reports here.

For the latest on the Big Plastic Count launched by Greenpeace UK and Everyday Plastic click here.

...we talk about the need to switch from petrol and diesel to electric vehicles as we enjoy the freedom to get around again without making the climate crisis worse.   

Electric vehicle battery engineer Euan McTurk crunches the numbers in a bid to answer to a common question: Are electric cars really better for the planet than petrol or diesel? 

Zero Waste Scotland’s circular economy energy infrastructure expert, Charlotte Stamper, shares our latest research highlighting the risk of creating more waste as demand for electric vehicles soars – and discusses innovative solutions to avoid that risk and create more sustainable jobs in the process.   

Paul Codd explains how Cheesecake Energy, his tasty-sounding circular economy business, is pioneering an unlikely sounding way to make the switch to electric more sustainable.  

Find out more:     

Zero Waste Scotland provides a range of free expert advice and information to help everyone waste less to cut the carbon emissions behind the climate crisis.     

The wasteful way we produce, buy and bin everything is the single biggest cause of the emissions behind the crisis in Scotland. That’s unsustainable because it’s destroying the planet and because we don’t have a limitless supply of metals and other natural resources. 

The key to ending the crisis here is to stop wasting everything and make things last instead. That’s what the circular economy does – reducing, reusing, repairing, remaking and only then recycling products and materials. 

The switch from petrol and diesel vehicles to electric is vital to help save the planet. But we need to make the switch sustainably. That means renting and sharing cars, and buying secondhand instead of new, to make the most of what we already have.  

It also means using batteries sustainably. Latest research commissioned by Zero Waste Scotland enabled our experts to forecast that battery waste will triple in 25 years, with 40 per cent of that caused by electric vehicles. The report adds to evidence that most batteries are currently exported for recycling or sent to landfill, with no recycling of batteries currently done in Scotland. It highlights a key opportunity for Scotland to reprocess and recycle batteries here, creating new green jobs and reducing waste and emissions further as we switch to electric vehicles. Read the research summary and reports here.  

To hear more from Euan McTurk about electric vehicles and batteries visit Plug life Television.  

For more information on Cheesecake Energy click here.

...we find out how to enjoy socialising and support the recovery post-Covid without making the climate crisis worse.

Naomi Ross from Sioda explains how to look good, get a retail therapy fix and still help save the world by renting everyday clothes instead of buying new.

We chat to Hannah Clinch about going back to the future on the Clyde where Dunoon Goes Pop aims to revive the town’s historic drinks industry and tourism with a modern twist on sustainability.

Both women have had support from Zero Waste Scotland’s circular economy experts to develop their business ideas during lockdown.

Our Business Support Partner, Louisa Coursey, highlights another female-led Scottish business pioneering reusable cups in cafes to help wipe out the waste from countless disposable drinks cups.

Find out more:  

The way we produce, buy and bin clothing is a key cause of the emissions behind the climate crisis. Renting clothes or switching to second-hand instead of always buying new can really help save the planet.

Zero Waste Scotland’s Revolve certification is a national quality guarantee scheme for second-hand goods and customer service. More than 120 certified stores around the country are Revolve members, selling a range of pre-loved items from clothes and books to bikes and furniture.

Needless throwaway products from cups and bottles are another key cause of the waste behind the climate emergency. Help make a difference by ditching disposables wherever possible and choosing reusable alternatives such as buying or renting reusable cups instead.

For the latest updates on Dunoon Goes Pop click here.

...we explore the innovative future of our homes.

Our homes are a key cause of the climate crisis, creating around 40 per cent of UK carbon emissions. Millions of sofas and other types of furniture are illegally dumped or sent to landfill each year in Scotland, creating needless waste and carbon emissions. 

We talk to Saskia Goeres about how the sight of so many abandoned sofas in Glasgow inspired her to create a sofa designed to last a lifetime to help end the climate crisis.

Zero Waste Scotland’s Stephen Boyle drops in to discuss ‘superjackets’ and other more sustainable ways of building better homes.

Sharon McCracken joins us from IKEA to translate the idea of ‘living lagom’ and explain why the global furniture store gave its customers cash to help them live more sustainably and then dropped the amount from £500 to £100 after proving that sustainable shopping really doesn’t cost the earth.

Find out more

For more information on IKEA’s sustainable shopping project, Live Lagom, click here.

Stephen Boyle was also a guest on Episode 1 of Canadian podcast, Prairie Design Lab, discussing sustainable construction.

...we explore the fascinating future of food.

Wasted food is a major cause of the climate crisis. Each year in Scotland alone we collectively waste over £1billion worth of food from our homes. Insect farming might sound like a joke but it’s a serious business opportunity to turn Scotland’s waste into value.

We talk to Zero Waste Scotland’s, Dr William Clark, who probably knows more than anyone in Scotland about how Scottish insect farms can help to produce the sustainable food supply we need - reducing waste and emissions and creating green jobs too.

Laurence Webb from Tesco joins us to explain why the UK’s largest supermarket is keen on insect farming too as part of growing efforts to help combat climate change by working with its suppliers to make customers’ shopping far more sustainable.

Rosie Jack from Fife food and drink hub, Bowhouse, also drops in for a chat about how as a small, Scottish business it’s working with Zero Waste Scotland and local food producers to make a big difference to food waste.

Find out more

For more information on Bowhouse food hub click here.

For more on reducing food waste read Scotland’s Food Waste Reduction Action Plan.

For more on how we can produce and consume our food differently to help end the climate crisis read Zero Waste Scotland’s Future of Food report.

Our research on the economic benefits of insect farming is here.