Big Green Feet Community Interest Company Giffnock Recycling Bike
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April 5, 2016 GIFFNOCK RECYCLING BIKE PROJECT FINAL REPORT Big Green Feet Community Interest Company Giffnock Recycling Bike 2015/16 project, Final Report This report relates to Climate Challenge Fund Project 4074, The Giffnock Recycling Bike Scheme. It was delivered by Big Green Feet, a community interest company based in Giffnock and delivered in partnership with the Giffnock Village Business Improvement District. Further information on both organisations can be found at www.biggreenfeet.co.uk and http://www.giffnockvillage.com/ Starting Point The idea for the project originated in 2014 when the new Waste (Scotland) Regulations came in to force requiring major food waste generators to separate out their food waste. Any restaurant or businesses generating over 50kg of food waste per week was obliged to present it separately for collection for composting rather than landfill. This was a good initiative in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emission because food biodegrades in landfill emitting methane, creating a serious greenhouse gas impact. The legislation was staggered such that, on 1st January 2016, the law would apply to any outlet generating more than 5kg a week of food or green waste. This would now relate to most restaurants and many takeaways. Giffnock Main Street, known as Fenwick Road, has around 20 restaurants and takeaways over a stretch of approximately 1km. As waste is collected by private contractors, as many as 7 different waste companies could come into Giffnock in a specific food waste vehicle (Food TRVs), each of which has a fuel efficiency of approximately 6mpg and which cause disruption and greenhouse gas emissions on a pleasant main street. Our project sets about to produce a new idea to prevent those lorry journeys. The project idea came from Big Green Feet, a local Community Enterprise Company who develop community scale environmental projects and the Giffnock Business Improvement District (BID) set up to help enhance Giffnock as a place to shop and enjoy . We also identified a good link with Young Enterprise Scotland who have become an important player in the project. 1 April 5, 2016 GIFFNOCK RECYCLING BIKE PROJECT FINAL REPORT The project replaces the waste lorries with a cargo bike. These bikes are unusual in Scotland but are more common in Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. They are used there for carrying children, delivering goods and transporting materials. We have never seen one used for waste before, but the principle seemed to be sensible. The cargo compartment can carry 100kg and provided it is kept clean should be suitable for transporting waste. We chose to collect only food waste by bike. Ultimately we could collect more waste but items such as card can be too big and bulky and would require several journeys. Residual waste would have to be taken to a landfill site (the nearest is about 9km away, a long journey on a bike weighed down with up to 100kg of waste). Food is manageable and we can deliver it to a local point; that local point would then treat it in a suitable manner. We selected a point in nearby Rouken Glen Park which is operated by Young Enterprise Scotland and where we would site an anaerobic digester which turns the food waste into compost. The food waste is now collected from restaurants and rather than taken to landfill, is converted into compost. We also realised that the novelty value of seeing a cargo bike would have the additional benefit of simply generating interest. It is unusual and people ask questions. This has developed momentum and anew found interest in waste and we attempted to utilise this to push further food waste awareness raising. The main objectives / expected outcomes of the Grant funded project are: 1) Reduce waste vehicles emissions - lifetime savings of 223.5 tonnes Waste is normally collected by lorry (usually known as a TRV) which in general will achieve fuel consumption rates of around 6mpg. The emissions associated with such high fuel usage are of course significantly greater than the emissions associated with a car. Therefore replacing a TRV with a zero emissions bicycle should make a significant difference to the emissions in the area. Due to the nature of waste collections the restaurants in Giffnock use a variety of different waste contractors who each use their own vehicles. Contractors include Murdoch, Biffa, Viridor, Scotwaste, NVH, East Renfrewshire council and Wm Tracey. Although there has been evidence of two contractors sharing a vehicle (through subcontracting to Keenan’s) in general there are far too many high emissions TRVs using the streets of Giffnock. Our scheme effectively replaces the food TRVs, although there will still be residual waste TRVs taking waste to landfill and also DMR and glass vehicles which we are currently unable to replace. 2) Reduce food waste going to landfill By collecting food waste separately for the restaurants we are able to ensure that waste streams are separate and can be disposed of according to their composition. Food waste should ultimately end up going back into the ground as compost in a true circular economy. Too often food gets landfilled with residual waste as separation and collection are not well manged. Our project started with advisory work with restaurants to explain the benefits of separating food waste and the need to reduce landfill. We were assisted by the Waste (Scotland) Regulations which on January 1 st 2016 in the middle of our project introduced a new tighter regime for disposing of food waste and which made it an offence for restaurants not to dispose of food waste separately. 2 April 5, 2016 GIFFNOCK RECYCLING BIKE PROJECT FINAL REPORT 3) Increase volunteer activity We have been recording volunteer hours and noting the new volunteers who have applied to work with the project. To date the volunteer numbers are 16, but we expect this to grow as more regular pick-ups take place. In addition to cyclists who ride the bike, we have had volunteer help from: administrator, compost tuition, public relations and press release, photographer, training. 4) Increase compost provision Our collection of food waste is turned into compost through 100% natural processes. We will use a Rocket digester and as a backup a Hot Bin. Both are certified safe and comply with health and safety standards, both are easy to use and both have the ability to turn cooked food, bones, meats and fats and vegetable matter into good quality compost. The only additive required is woodchip – a natural material which we are currently collecting for free from recent tree felling’s in Rouken Glen Park. 5) Raise awareness of benefits of reducing food waste Our project has additional benefits to the technical aspects noted above. It has raised awareness and generated momentum. We wanted to build on this and introduce additional food waste awareness issues alongside the food collections while we had the interest of the restaurants and the public. We proposed a series of seminars and workshops, working closely with the current government backed schemes to reduce food waste. Headline Achievements Overall Project Summary The Recycling Bike project is playing a key and high profile role in turning food waste into compost in the Giffnock area of Glasgow. perhaps the greatest pleasure is in hearing the reaction of community members, from the restaurant owners and the public. Every reaction has been positive – the bikes are highly visible and draw attention, and when we explain what we’re doing and why, we have had 100% positive reaction. The only negative has been one take away which said they would not join the project as they are already tied into a waste contract. The principle of riding a bike, picking up the waste and taking it to a compost maker has been simple. We have planned for many potential incidents – what if a bag splits and we spill food waste on the ground etc. Fortunately we have not had to put any of our emergency procedures into place, and the process is running smoothly. However, we have had difficulties, none of which have stopped the project, but each one introducing a new delay. Overall CO 2e reductions are not at the target figure we aspired to because of the delay, but one year from now we are confident that they will easily hit the annual target expected. And with other restaurants outside the area asking to join, we should quickly be able to make up the shortfall. Activities 3 April 5, 2016 GIFFNOCK RECYCLING BIKE PROJECT FINAL REPORT Our first task was simply to advise our potential customers what the project was all about! Although it is easy for those of us involved in the planning and familiar with waste issues to quickly grasp the benefits, for restaurateurs, local businesses and others, there was a need to simply explain what it was all about. While this took time and several one to one meetings it was worth it as all feedback was overwhelmingly positive. We then clarified out positon with SEPA which involved gaining exemptions or certificates for all stages of the waste collection and disposal process. We visited one of the few existing rocket sites in Scotland (at Anniesland college) where local expert Frank McMaster gave us many tips and support. We checked out the capital expenditure items ordering a Rocket composter (with “essential extras” such as woodchip bays, steps and a dewatering plant) and a new cargo bike – with an electric assist to enable almost anyone to ride the bike, regardless of the size of their leg muscles! Next we agreed with each restaurant or take away that the wanted to join the scheme.