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Council employee triumphs at national waste management awards

An Aberdeen City Council employee has taken the top prize in a national awards ceremony for her outstanding contribution to waste management.

Laura Blair, a waste strategy officer with the local authority’s Housing and Environment team, was named Young Recycler of the Year at the Scottish Waste and Resources Conference awards dinner in Glasgow.

Laura saw off competition from waste management group Shanks and recycling specialists Viridor to take the title, which recognises the outstanding contribution of a person, aged 35 years or under, towards a zero waste society.

Organisers said the winner had to stand out as someone who has visibly made a difference to waste management at a local, regional or national level.

Judges praised Laura for her innovative work on food waste recycling in the city and commended her for taking the lead in a new network in the north of Scotland for young waste and recycling professionals.

Laura said: “It was quite something to collect this award in front of the great and good of the industry. To receive national recognition for something I am extremely passionate about and have a genuine interest in is a real honour.

“The targets for a zero waste society are ambitious but they are certainly pushing things in the right direction. The fact of the matter is we have to reduce the amount of waste we produce and deal with it in a more sustainable manner.”

Aberdeen City Council waste and recycling manager Peter Lawrence said: “Everyone in the waste and recycling service is thrilled to see Laura win this accolade. It was well deserved and a real boost for all of us to see someone from Aberdeen leading the way in Scottish waste and recycling management.”

Hundreds of leading figures from councils, regulators and private and public sector organisations turned out for Thursday’s [06 October] ceremony, which was held at the Hilton Hotel, Glasgow and hosted by BBC Scotland political editor, Brian Taylor.

Launched in 2001, the awards have been designed to recognise outstanding achievements in the waste and resource industry in Scotland and provide a unique opportunity for the public, private and community sectors to gain national recognition for environmental performance, innovation and best practice. Entrants in the Young Recycler of the Year category had to submit a 500-750 word summary outlining how they achieved their success. The awards dinner rounded off the two-day Scottish Waste and Resources Conference, which is held annually.

Scotland’s Zero Waste Plan was launched by the Scottish Government in June 2010 and sets out the vision for a zero waste society. The Zero Waste Plan requires councils to increase the amount of municipal waste being recycled or composted to 60% by 2020 and 70% by 2025.

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