Inaugural exhibition showcases at West Highland Museum
A new exhibition has been unveiled at the West Highland Museum in Fort William, aiming to engage visitors with waste reduction and the circular economy in the Highlands, through the work of the Highland Community Waste Partnership
Bringing together information, artefacts, demonstrations, activities and testimonials from across the partnership the exhibition highlights three key waste reduction themes: food waste and composting, share and repair and single use items and packaging.
These are the key areas of work for the Highland Community Waste Partnership, led and driven by eight community groups across the Highlands, coordinated by environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful and funded by The National Lottery Community Fund,
The exhibition was brought together under the banner of the Conscious Consumption campaign, which was launched by the partnership in 2023 with the aim of raising awareness of the way that we consume, the choices available to us and what we can all do to reduce the amount or resources that we use and waste, through our daily habits.
The West Highland Museum is the first venue to host the exhibition where it will be free to visit until May 2024.
Founded in 1922, the museum collects, conserves and presents items of historical and cultural interest from the West Highland area.
Karen Dean, Community Outreach Officer from the museum, said:
“The West Highland Museum is delighted to be hosting this local exhibition on behalf of the Highland Community Waste Partnership and Lochaber Environmental Group.
“It’s fantastic to see the exhibition now in place, show casing the hard work these groups put in throughout the Highlands.
“This concept started from a quick chat at a local networking event and has now become an exhibition which can travel the Highlands raising awareness of how we can all think about the way we buy, use and dispose of items nowadays.
“Please take some time to come along to the Museum in Cameron Square to view the exhibition for yourself.”
Georgina Massouraki, Highland Community Waste Partnership Coordinator, said:
“It is really exciting to share our Conscious Consumption exhibition with the world, bringing together so many different aspects of our work under one banner.
“It is a true testament to both the richness and diversity and the power of collaboration within the partnership.
“There are so many ways that we can all adopt more conscious consumption habits and support our transition toward a more circular economy, where we both use and waste less.
“We hope that visitors will be inspired to make changes where they can and encourage them to leave a small pledge in the pledge book.
“We look forward to growing and refining this exhibition over the remainder of the project and would encourage anyone interested in hosting it or working with us to get in touch.”
Further information on the project and campaign can be found at www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/highlandcommunitywaste
