The idea that grew into award-winning change #SeriouslySocial 

What does sustainability actually look like?

Sometimes, it starts with noticing something small.

For Ed Bethune, Operations Manager at the Royal Commonwealth Pool and one of Edinburgh Leisure’s Green Champions, the idea for a new approach to food waste came from everyday life — seeing how a family member managed composting at home and wondering whether something similar could work across Edinburgh Leisure.

What started as a simple observation quickly became something bigger.

Working with Edinburgh Leisure’s sustainability team, Ed shared the idea for an on-site composting system that could reduce food waste across café venues and turn it into something useful.

With support from colleagues and funding from the Solar Co-operative Community Benefit Fund, the idea moved from conversation to action.

Today, HotBin composters are operating across multiple Edinburgh Leisure venues, helping transform how food waste is managed.

Food waste that would once have left site is now composted locally and reused by Edinburgh Leisure’s Grounds Maintenance Team to support planting and greenspaces across the city.

The project has changed more than waste management.

It has shown how everyday ideas, when supported and tested, can create practical environmental change.

The impact has already been recognised nationally, with Edinburgh Leisure receiving a Gold Award at the Green Apple Environment Awards.

But the bigger achievement is what the project represents.

The HotBins project shows how staff across Edinburgh Leisure are bringing the organisation’s sustainability and net zero ambitions to life.