Rural and Environment

Towards a Greener Scotland: Recycle Week and Household Waste Statistics

September 25, 2018 by Alan Bannon No Comments | Category Climate Change, Environment

With the introduction of new policies and abolition of others, recent years have seen Scotland approach its war on waste with warrior-like determination.

From shopping bags to drinking straws, we’re continuing to siphon out some of the most damaging habits of today’s disposable culture to help protect our environment, wildlife and planet.  

Recyle Week Scotland 2018, runs from the 24th – 30th September, and aims to build on our efforts to tackle Scotland’s waste by raising awareness of and encouraging others to do more to re-use or recycle. Join the conversation on Twitter at #RecycleWeekScot.

This week also saw the publication of an  Official Statistics report published by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), tracking levels of household waste across all local authorities in Scotland from January 2017 to December 2017.

The results show that last year was the sixth consecutive decrease in household waste landfilled since 2011. In fact, 2017 saw, for the first time ever, more Scottish waste recycled (1.12 million tonnes) than landfilled (1.11 million tonnes).

The official statistics also show the carbon impact of Scottish household waste generated and managed in 2017. This came to 5.86 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, which is the equivalent to 1.08 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per person. 

The results are a decrease of 115,938 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (1.9%) from 2016, and a decrease of 904,491 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (13.4%) from 2011.  

To find out more about our continued work to tackle waste, visit the managing waste page of our website.

For tips and guidance on what you can do, visit www.recycleforscotland.com. 

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