Two-thirds of landfill waste could be recycled
ALMOST two-thirds of waste being sent to landfill by Scottish households could have been recycled, a new report has revealed.
The study follows concerns that people struggle to grasp complex council systems that can make it hard to know what is actually recyclable.
Households send the equivalent of ten full wheelie bins of recyclable waste to landfill sites every year, according to research carried out by Zero Waste Scotland.
This equates to 670,000 tons per annum, costing councils £54million in landfill tax.
A new report has found 15,000 tons of plastic drinks bottles alone are sent to landfill, which would have been worth between £375,000 and £1.95million if they had been recycled.
Iain Gulland, chief executive of Zero Waste Scotland, said: ‘This report highlights a huge opportunity for all of us to continue to make the right choices when it comes to our waste. Recycling is the right thing to do for our environment and our economy – and I would urge everyone to resolve to recycle more in 2018. It’s an easy thing to do and something you can rightly feel good about.
‘The report clearly shows recycling more food waste is something we can all do better. When food waste goes to landfill it degrades and emits greenhouse gases, which contribute to climate change.’
Yet the report comes only months after it emerged that recycling rates in Scotland hit record levels last year, with almost half of all household waste being diverted away from landfill sites to recycling centres.
Scots generated 2.5million tons of waste, equivalent to almost 7,000 tons a day.
Figures published in September showed the country sent 3.7million tons of household, industrial and medical waste to landfill sites last year.
In February, the Scottish Daily Mail launched the Banish the Bottles campaign, calling for a 10p charge on bottles and cans, which would be refunded when they are returned for recycling.
Roseanna Cunningham, Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, said: ‘Recycling rates in Scotland continue to grow, with some councils topping 60 per cent.
‘The Scottish Government’s intention to introduce a deposit return system for Scotland has real potential to increase recycling even further.
‘I support Zero Waste Scotland’s call for us all to recycle even more in 2018. As a nation, we are working towards an ambitious target to recycle 70 per cent of all waste by 2025, with no more than 5 per cent to go to landfill.
‘The findings of this report clearly show us where we need to focus our collective efforts – bringing us closer to those targets and generating benefits for our communities and our environment.’