New name for Fife's arms-length commercial waste organisation

Fife's arms-length commercial waste body has rebranded itself - to reflect the need for a "circular economy."
Robin Baird, chief operating officer of Cireco, the new name for Fife's arms-length commercial waste companyRobin Baird, chief operating officer of Cireco, the new name for Fife's arms-length commercial waste company
Robin Baird, chief operating officer of Cireco, the new name for Fife's arms-length commercial waste company

Cireco is the new name for Resource Efficient Solutions, the Fife Council-run commercial venture that offers waste collection and processing to private companies across Scotland. It uses the council's facilities to process and dispose of waste from elsewhere in the country.

Robin Baird, chief operating officer, said the firm was "extremely proud" of the rebrand as it "reflects the business' recent investment, infrastructure and commitment to our corporate ethos of delivering a circular economy."

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A "circular economy" favours the reuse and recycling of materials to reduce waste and pollution.

Cireco is the new name for Fife's arms-length commercial waste company (Pic: Craig Stephen)Cireco is the new name for Fife's arms-length commercial waste company (Pic: Craig Stephen)
Cireco is the new name for Fife's arms-length commercial waste company (Pic: Craig Stephen)

Whereas the firm has simply removed and disposed of waste in the past, Baird says the company will now focus more on environmental advice to help private customers reduce waste and save money.

However, the name change does remove the company a degree from its controlling party, Fife Council.

Whereas the Resource Efficient Solutions website once described the firm as "a Fife Council company", Cireco reduces the local authority to a footnote in a single page, describing the company as "a commercial enterprise backed by Fife Council.”

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The name also distinguishes Cireco from Fife Resource Solutions, the civilian arm of Fife's recycling operation that carries out local bin collections and runs the Kingdom's landfills and recycling centres.

Baird insists the name change isn't designed to create a degree of separation, but to make it more palatable to the rest of Scotland.

"In terms of distancing themselves from the council, this is absolutely not the case," he added.

"The council is still a large part of the business' purpose.

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"However with the wider demand throughout Scotland for solutions to the greater demands in achieving circular economy, Cireco as a brand opens wider geographical reach."

Cireco has, in the past, worked with a number of commercial firms and other local authorities, generating money that the council could not because of its status as a public authority.

Fife's private and public recycling ventures reported a £35 million turnover last year, including a £14m management fee from Fife Council.

However, the enterprises actually carried out an additional £3.68m of services for the council in that time and are running at a near-£1 million loss, according to the most recent financial statements.

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