Recycling
Photographs
Foster carers event on Thursday
Fort Kinnaird Recruitment and Skills Centre
Edinburgh Direct Aid knitathon
You can watch the council’s Transport and Environment Committee meeting again if you wish on the council’s webcast pages.
One of the items which the councillors discussed yesterday was the amount of recycling that the council is encouraging residents to do. This was a short discussion as the council’s intention from the report is clear. They want to reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill. It is clear why when you consider that the cost of sending any rubbish to landfill is £110 per tonne. The council believes it will send 124,956 tonnes of waste to a rubbish tip near you in 2014/15. Yes that really will cost £13.75m. So you will understand why the council is keen to introduce the new recycling arrangements which are being rolled out across the city this year.
Green councillor Chas Booth a member of the committee expressed his frustration on Twitter.
Figures fr officers reveal cost of sending Edinburgh’s waste to landfill £13.75m this yr. Pouring money into hole in ground. #edincouncil
— Chas Booth (@CllrChasBooth) October 28, 2014
@mawitzend more waste prevention work (waste reduction & re-use projects) plus far more effort on recycling. Plenty council could do.
— Chas Booth (@CllrChasBooth) October 28, 2014
You can find out about rubbish collection and recycling and ways to do it by using red and blue bins on the council website here. There are also bottle banks at some supermarkets too. Anyone got any other innovative ways of recycling their rubbish?
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We really like taking photographs. And it seems there are a great many budding photographers out there among you too. On Sunday when we were taking photos of the For the Fallen train we bumped into @SaltireChaz who was adding some photos to his Flickr account.
He has also told us about the lovely photos he has taken of Edinburgh closes which you can see here.
So do any of you have some good photos? Then add them to our storyboards over here on EdinburghReportage! If you would like a special storyboard set up on a particular subject then just let us you. Your wish is our command.
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A year after opening, the Recruitment & Skills Centre at Fort Kinnaird has exceeded all expectations in supporting retailers and local businesses with recruitment and workforce development and helping hundreds of local jobseekers find and retain employment.
The Centre is the result of an innovative partnership between Fort Kinnaird and local organisations including; City of Edinburgh Council, Business Gateway, Capital City Partnership, Jobcentre Plus, Skills Development Scotland and Edinburgh Cyrenians.
90% of Fort Kinnaird’s retailers that recruited for Christmas positions last year, did so through the Recruitment & Skills Centre, resulting in 380 local jobseekers securing work with brands such as Mothercare, The Range, JD Sports, Toys R Us and Body Shop. Over a third of those placed continued on, securing permanent positions with their employer.
Furthermore, since opening over 150 local employers have benefited from 1,000 jobseekers securing work and developing their skills through the Recruitment & Skills Centre’s training and job search services. More than 200 people have benefited from pre-employment courses, with more programmes underway.
The team helps jobseekers find and retain employment by offering CV and interview workshops, help when completing job applications, and providing access to computers for job searches.
Commenting on the Centre Kathy Gallagher, Store Manager at Mothercare within Fort Kinnaird said:
“The staff and service at the Recruitment & Skills Centre were great when we were looking to take on a lot of new staff. The matching service offered by the Centre made my job much easier and saved me a considerable amount of time.”
Liam Smith, Centre Manager added:
“We are delighted with how well the Centre has done this past year. The response from our retailers has been incredible and we are very grateful to all the Joined up for Business partners for everything they have done, and continue to do, to make this venture a success.”
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Knitting groups – in cafes, libraries, on-line – are multiplying these days, as the therapeutic and creative value of knitting, and broader ranges of wools and patterns, are appreciated by young and old of both sexes. But could they knit for 24 hours with only a 5 min break each hour? Edinburgh Direct Aid is challenging knitters to raise sponsorship funds by doing exactly that (individually or in teams) in the weekend of 15 and 16 November – just in time to complete all those Christmas presents, or half-finished projects. This is in memory of their well-loved supporter Sister Margaret Duncan who completed this test of endurance on her own on 16th November 2009, at the age of 92, raising an extraordinary £12,000 for the disadvantaged children in Bosnia.
The Lord Provost, the Rt Hon Donald Wilson, said he hoped the challenge would encourage those who might not normally fundraise to give it a go. He said: “The ‘knitathon’ charity challenge is a great idea and I really do hope that the event raises awareness and understanding of what Direct Aid does. While bungee jumps and marathons are fantastic fundraising challenges for those looking for an adrenaline rush or to raise their fitness, for many people such physical challenges are not an option. Non-stop crafting is something many older and novice knitters might like to challenge themselves to do, alone or with friends, in order to raise money for a good cause.”
To find out more read our article here.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
