Scottish Hydro and Fresh Start have come together to run a ‘present recycling’ scheme from 6 January at the Start Eco Zone in the St James Centre beside Barrhead Travel.
A continuation of their Green Christmas campaign, which has been encouraging people to minimise waste over the festive season, the idea is for people to bring unwanted or duplicate electrical gifts into the Eco Zone for redistribution to those Edinburgh residents who need them most.
All goods will be PAT tested so they can be re-used by Edinburgh’s Fresh Start charity in order to provide ‘starter-packs’ for formerly homeless people who are being resettled in the community.
'This is a great initiative,' said Fresh Start's Keith Robertson. 'People are often unsure what to do with electrical goods, which just sit in their homes until they end up as landfill. Donating goods for re-use is the best environmental option and by donating them to Fresh Start we’ll ensure they get to the people who need them most.'
Nicky Madill, Scottish Hydro’s Green Christmas coordinator, commented: 'What we’re trying to do with The Eco Zone is to educate people on the importance of sustainability. Teaming up with Fresh Start has allowed us to do this in a way which will benefit other people'.
The Eco-Zone – in conjunction with Scottish Hydro and Scottish Business in the Community – is part of The Prince’s Charitable Foundation ‘Start’ initiative. It aims to present an inspiring picture of a sustainable future and show how positive changes can be made right now.