Green tidings from Glasgow Commonwealth Games

In an effort to make the ongoing Commmonwealth Games sustainable, the Glasgow City Council and the Scottish government announced in a sustainability conference that they will aim to recycle or reuse at least 80 per cent of the waste produced during the 11 days of the sporting event held in Glasgow, Scotland. The Games, which began on July 23, will conclude on August 3.

To set good standards of sustainability and reduce carbon emissions, free public transport will be provided to spectators within Glasgow on their sports ticket. “Sustainability is crucial to staging an outstanding Games. We think it’s imperative that we act responsibly at every stage of the Games process, and part of that is ensuring that we act in the most beneficial way possible for the environment, in an economical way that is in the best interests of local people in the long term,” Glasgow 2014 chief executive John Scott said in a press release.

Making the Games sustainable is part of Zero Waste Scotland Plan 2012-15, which aims to turn Scotland into a zero-waste society.

Most venue of the Games were upgraded from existing stadia or park as opposed to starting from scratch, thus reducing the burden on the environment. The turf in the athletes' village in Dalmarnock comprising 750 homes was developed with recycled matter—food waste collected with garden waste from households in Glasgow City, East Renfrewshire and South Lanarkshire and transformed into compost. The village has been designed to be energy efficient with photovoltaic panels on the houses and a combined heat and power system. The homes are expected to reduce carbon emissions by 60 per cent by cutting the energy demand.

“Scottish householders dispose of over half a million tonnes of food and drink each year. When sent to landfill, this food decomposes and releases harmful greenhouse gases. Around 57 per cent of households in Scotland now have access to a food waste recycling service, allowing this waste to be transformed into a valuable resource,” Zero Waste Scotland director Iain Gulland told edieWaste, a network of waste and recycling professions. He added that using household waste and turning that via composting to feed the very turf on which the athletes will stay is a great example of embedding sustainability in the Games’ organisation.