Renfrewshire Council waste teams to wear carbon-neutral PPE

Waste collection teams in Renfrewshire will wear carbon-neutral PPE as part of Renfrewshire Council’s plan for net-zero emissions by 2030.

The carbon emissions created through the manufacture of safety equipment and clothing for bin collection staff and drivers will be offset by planting trees in the Amazon rainforest, as well as the provision of trees to be planted in Renfrewshire.

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The Council will work closely with suppliers Greenham to use their carbon calculator and ensure that the purchase of the PPE is sustainable, with discussions to take place as to how future procurement could also be carbon-neutral.

Renfrewshire Council Leader Iain Nicolson said: “We’ve set an ambitious target of Renfrewshire becoming net-zero by 2030 and to reach this we will need to make major changes across the region, but within the Council we want to take every opportunity possible to make a difference.

“It’s great to see that our waste teams will be in carbon-neutral PPE and I look forward to working closely with officers to see how we can make our wider procurement process more environmentally friendly.

“It’s important that every decision we take considers climate change as a key factor and we’re committed to reducing our emissions wherever possible.”

Following the declaration of a climate emergency in 2019, Renfrewshire Council created a working group with members of all political parties to make recommendations on how Renfrewshire can become net-zero by 2030, which has now been formalised as the Climate Change Sub-Committee.

The Climate Change Action Fund was created to support innovative projects and initiatives being developed by Council services in response to the climate emergency, with an initial £1million committed to a range of research, feasibility studies and immediate projects.

The Renfrewshire Climate Panel will bring a representative group of residents together to help shape the direction of the Council’s climate change planning and ensure that a collaborative approach can be established between the community and the Council.

For more information on the Council’s work to tackle climate change in Renfrewshire, visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/climatechange.