Highland Community Waste Partnership
The Highland Community Waste Partnership was funded by The National Lottery Climate Action Fund between April 2022 - March 2025.
The project has now come to an end and this website will be converted into a legacy website by the Summer of 2025, featuring case studies, signposts and other resources. If you have any questions please get in touch.
Let's talk about waste
Welcome to the Highland Community Waste Partnership website. Here you can find more information about what we're working on and how to get involved.
80% of Scotland's carbon footprint comes from the things that we make, buy, use and throw away, often after one use.
If we're going to address the climate emergency, we have to change the way that we consume and move towards a more circular economy, where we both use and waste less.
Everyone has a part to play, and every little counts. Join us!
Who we are
The Highland Community Waste Partnership is led and driven by eight community groups across the Highlands, coordinated by Keep Scotland Beautiful.
Together we are working to reduce waste in our communities by changing the way that we all consume, that is, buy, use and dispose of things.
This means using things better, for longer, reducing the impact of waste on our communities and working together to make the most of what we’ve got.
This will help cut costs, grow local, grassroots initiatives and transform the way we live to reduce our environmental impact.
Learn more
We are working across the following key areas of waste reduction. Click on the boxes to find out more:
We're joining forces to provide a programme of workshops and events both online and locally, to help build the knowledge, understanding, skills and opportunities to reduce waste in our day to day lives.
From film nights and climate conversations, clothes swaps and car boot sales, to practical composting and repair workshops this is a great place to find out what's happening, meet and connect with others and get started on your own waste reduction journey.
Meet the Project Officers from the eight community groups that make up the Highland Community Waste Partnership and the Keep Scotland Beautiful team that coordinate the project.
Contact
Get in touch: highlandcommunitywaste@keepscotlandbeautiful.org
Our report provides an overview of development, learning, achievements and next steps for the Highland Community Waste Partnership, one year on.
Featured activities
As the Highland Community Waste Partnership wraps up on 31 March 2025, we've been keen to ensure that the legacy of the projects lives on and that all the learning generated over the past years is shared as widely as possible, so that others can build on it.
Check out our webinar series for a chance to hear directly from different partners about their work, insights and learning around delivering waste reduction and working together to achieve this.
As part of our work to promote more Conscious Consumption in the Highlands, we want to make it easier for people to share or repair items, instead of sending them to landfill and buying new. This will save resources, reduce waste and contribute to a better future for our planet.
The Highland Repair Directory is a free interactive map, designed to help people find nearby repair services for their favourite items.
In our latest intervention to reduce packaging waste, we're building on the success of the Highland Cup Movement to pilot returnable food and drinks packaging with Highland businesses.
This innovative scheme makes it easier than ever to #ChooseToReuse, by allowing customers to access reusables at the point of sale, rather than having to bring their own.
We've developed a new resource to help households reduce food and packaging waste at every step of the food waste journey. Work through it online or find a workshop near you.
Businesses have an important role to play in promoting more #ConsciousConsumption, providing their customers with more sustainable choices and cutting wste and operational costs in the process.
Learn more about how the Highland Community Waste Partnership is working with businesses and how to get involved.
We know our consumption habits are driving climate change and damaging our environment. But what can we do about it?
A transition towards a more circular economy is a systemic change. This means that everyone has a part to play, from industry giants to individual consumers.
The Highland Community Waste Partnership is focusing on what we can do as individuals, in our communities and from the ground up. Here are our top tips!
As part of our work to reduce waste, we've started rolling out a 'Conscious Consumption' campaign, that aims to raise awareness around the way that we consume, the choices available to us, and what we can all do to reduce the amount of resources that we use and waste, through our daily habits.
Starting with a focus on packaging and single-use items, learn what you can do to reduce the amount of food and drink packaging generated both at home and whilst on-the-go.
Keep Scotland Beautiful are delivering Climate Emergency Training for Youth Climate Advocates as part of the Highland Community Waste Partnership. The course is available to all 11-24 year olds in the Highlands and is accredited by the Carbon Literacy Project.
Our Youth Climate Advocates will have the opportunity to get involved with the work of the Partnership, helping to drive action on waste, consumption and climate change in their local area.
Learn more and find out how to get involved.
Janet from Broadford & Strath Community Company has been working with Radio Skye on a short series of broadcasts highlighting the work of the Highland Community Waste Partnership and covering a range of topics to encourage everyone to reduce, reuse and recycle.
To learn more and access the series click the link below.
The Spirit of the Soil, produced by Lochaber Environmental Group, was recently reprinted as part of the HCWP project.
The book provides insights into food growing, composting and soil health in the unique environment of the Highlands.
To learn more or get a copy click on the link below.
Follow the Highland Community Waste Partnership on social media
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