Scotland's recycling and composting rate continues upward
trend
20 November 2009
EXT01 - B02
Scotland’s recycling and composting rate
continues to rise steadily.
Figures released today (Friday, 20 November),
by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), show that
Scotland’s annual recycling and composting rate rose to 35.2% for
the year July 2008 to June 2009.
In terms of current recycling performance, the
recycling and composting rate for the first quarter of 2009/10
(April to June) increased to 38.7%, an improvement on 35.4% for the
same quarter of last year.
A total of 1.22 million tonnes of
biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) was sent to landfill in
Scotland in the year July 2008 to June 2009. This is already below
the 1.32 million tonnes limit set for Scotland for 2009/10 by the
European Commission under the Landfill Allowance Scheme.
Progress has also been made on stabilising the
growth of municipal solid waste (MSW) produced in Scotland.
Approximately 3.26 million tonnes of MSW was produced in Scotland
in the year July 2008 to June 2009, a decrease from the 3.40
million tonnes produced in the corresponding previous year.
Kenny Boag, SEPA’s National Waste Policy Unit
Manager, said:
“It is very encouraging to see Scotland’s
municipal waste recycling rate continue to rise and the signs are
good in that it looks as though we will meet our immediate targets.
However, even greater challenges lie ahead and we must all accept
that this will require new and additional services, facilities and
most importantly, changes to our lifestyles so we may further
reduce, reuse and recycle our waste in Scotland.”
Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead, said:
“These figures paint a very encouraging picture as we approach
our ambitious target of recycling 40% of our municipal waste by the
end of 2010. Now is the time for a united push to get us over the
line and to look ahead to our future targets.
“The extensive response to Scotland’s Zero Waste Plan
consultation shows there is a great deal of enthusiasm out there
for a cleaner, greener country. The bar has been raised and we
should all work together - households, businesses, and local
authorities - to move Scotland towards a Zero Waste Society”
Ends
Notes to editors
- Quarter 1 figures are from 1 April – 30 June 2009 and rolling
year figures are from 1 July 2008 – 30 June 2009. These are
reported by local authority area and for Scotland as a whole and
can be found at:www.sepa.org.uk/waste/waste_data_menu/waste_data_reports/landfill_allowance_scheme_repo.aspx
- The rolling year data aggregates the last four quarters’
returns and is the best means of comparison for annual data as it
eliminates seasonal factors. The recycling/composting rate
calculated from the rolling year data is used when checking
progress towards meeting the recycling/composting targets.
- The recycling and composting rate for the previous rolling year
(April 2008 – March 2009) was 34.3%.
- The recycling and composting rate for the first quarter of
2008/09 (April – June 08) was 35.4%.
- Municipal recycling/composting targets are 40% by 2010 and 50%
by 2013 (required to contribute to meeting LAS targets), 60% by
2020 and 70% by 2025. These targets relate to calendar years.
- The Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC) sets targets and timescales
for reducing the amount of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) sent
to landfill. From this, the UK government has identified the
maximum amount of BMW that the UK can landfill for certain target
years up to 2020 and a proportion of these targets have been
allocated to Scotland. Scotland’s targets for BMW permitted to
landfill can be found at:www.sepa.org.uk/waste/waste_data/municipal_waste/biodegradable_municipal_waste.aspx
http://www.sepa.org.uk/