Glasgow’s wholesale market is targeting ‘zero waste to landfill’, having begun research three years ago to reduce its carbon footprint and minimise operating costs.
The market has already introduced new recycling streams and is looking at the possibility of rainwater harvesting and downscaling its vehicle fleet in the coming months. Last year, the market sent over 18,000 tonnes of waste to landfill but this is anticipated to fall below 700t in 2016.
Measures implemented in the past year include the separation of plastics, cardboard and metal on-site, as well as the installation of energy-efficient lighting. The market’s landlord City Property Glasgow also recently wrote to tenants to ask that they begin using recyclable boxes instead of polystyrene, which will soon be banned at the market.
On the produce side, the market is looking to diversify by potentially opening a Chinese supermarket and welcoming a cider processing plant and spice wholesalers to the site.
In addition, the market is in dialogue with the council about launching a year-round street food market in the city centre, following the successful trial of weekly street food event Good Food Glasgow earlier this year.
