The University of Central Lancashire Centre for Waste Management provides waste and resource management training on a national basis.
The Improving Recycling initiative first came about when a member of Zero Waste Scotland contacted Centre for Waste Management Director, Professor Karl Williams, who was then put in touch with Glasgow City Council to discuss a format of training that could fit with its busy refuse collection teams.
The primary aim of the training was to improve the recycling levels within the Glasgow City Council area. The courses are being delivered across the city’s three depots throughout 2024/25, starting at the Dawsholm Recycling Centre in the west and extending to two other Recycling Centres as the year progresses. The courses will initially target frontline refuse collectors on how to identify contaminants in household bins, the training later extends to managers for process improvement. The focus of the training was to highlight the investment in the collection team as an important part of the front-line engagement with the Glaswegian Public.
"This will help reduce waste going to landfills and boost revenue from recycling, whilst benefiting both the Council and local communities."
— Professor Karl Williams
A key challenge of the training was to replicate kerb-side collection scenarios in the classroom. This was overcome with the development of special transportable bins which allowed staff to assess the levels of recycling contamination they would experience out on collections. By putting in place practical methods such as this staff have been able to improve their recycling knowledge, which in turn improves Glasgow City Council's recycling objectives.
Summing up, Professor Karl Williams said: “The training has given Glasgow City Council refuse collectors a detailed understanding of upcoming changes in their recycling services. This will help reduce waste going to landfills and boost revenue from recycling, whilst benefiting both the Council and local communities.”
