Through diligent waste management and by collaborating with trusted suppliers, we're proud to say that we've sent zero waste to landfill since January 2019. Here's how we continue to achieve it.
We aim to create a local circular economy by diverting all waste generated at the EICC away from landfills.
Waste is collected onsite and segregated before being sent to a local recycling centre to be recycled or converted into Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF).
General Waste
At the recycling centre, our general waste is sorted into metal, paper, carboard, polythene and plastics, and recycled as follows:
- Wood is chipped and reused in manufacturing chipboard.
- Metal is fragged and sent to Fife for remanufacture.
- Paper is baled, then processed in Perth for further redistribution.
- Carboard is baled, then sent onto other local sites for reproduction.
- Polythene is baled, then repurposed for damp course in buildings.
- Plastic Bottles and other plastics are baled, then sent on to mills for reproduction.
Non-recyclable
Any waste materials which can't be recycled are converted into Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF). The RDF is sent to a local power station to produce low carbon energy for the national grid.
RDF process produces substantially less CO2e than if the remaining waste were to be sent to landfill - and means that every last bit of our waste is fully recycled, with zero going to landfill.
Food
Our on-site caterers, Leith’s, focus on minimising food waste during the planning and delivery of each event. In partnership with Olio, they redistribute any remaining edible food into the local community.
Any food which can't be redistributed goes to a local facility and processed using Anaerobic Digestion. This produces energy which helps to decarbonise the national grid. The by-product from this process is a nutrient rich bio fertilizer, which is supplied to local farms to aid the agricultural sector.
Glass
Glass waste is washed and processed to make aggregate or insulation wool. Glass aggregate it used in the construction of roads, replacing the need for virgin fossil fuel derived materials, whilst the insulation wool is used by the building industry to make new buildings more efficient and environmentally-friendly.
Oil Waste
The waste oil from our kitchens is taken to a local facility where it's filtered to remove any food particles. The food particles are processed by anaerobic digestion, whilst the oil is refined into Biodiesel.
The Biodiesel is used to replace diesel in generators for events, remote locations and even as a backup to the national grid.