Zero waste plan data
Achieving zero waste in Scotland
The Scottish Government has now published Scotland's Zero Waste Plan, which outlines how it aims to reduce the amount of waste produced, re-use valuable resources and increase recycling levels to help Scotland become a ‘zero waste society’.
What is meant by zero waste?
Zero waste means thinking about resources, not waste. It means eliminating the unnecessary use of raw materials through:
- sustainable design;
- increasing resource efficiency;
- preventing waste;
- re-using products wherever possible;
- recovering value from products when they reach the end of their lives, either through recycling, composting or energy recovery, according to the waste hierarchy.
Data to support the plan
SEPA is responsible for providing an annual set of data to support the plan and help monitor policies and targets. Scotland's Zero Waste Plan data refer to Scottish waste; that is, waste that is generated in Scotland and managed either in Scotland, the UK or abroad. This is a new approach as, until now (with the exception of waste managed by local authorities), we have reported the management of waste in Scotland regardless of where it was produced. Reporting Scottish waste will raise new challenges, such as tracking waste that leaves Scotland for management elsewhere. We are continually striving to improve the quality and completeness of the data.
Data tables
The latest set of data showing Scottish waste arisings and management from 2004 onwards is available on the following spreadsheet:
Data for Annex B
Data collected and reported by SEPA is used to populate Tables 1 and 2 of Annex B to Scotland’s Zero Waste Plan.
We update Tables 1 and 2 annually, using this calculation method 
(78 kb).
The Zero Waste Plan
The Zero Waste Plan describes a new package of complementary measures, including ambitious recycling targets and the use of a carbon metric to encourage recycling of materials which will result in the greatest benefit to the environment.
SEPA has published new guidance to Local Authorities on Zero Waste Plan recycling targets, landfill diversion and the Landfill Allowance Scheme. This guidance reflects the new targets and reporting conventions set out in Annex A to the Zero Waste Plan and will be implemented from April 2011.