Scotland’s 70% recycling target a “century away” according to environmentalists

19 Oct 2023 --- New waste statistics released by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have sparked a debate regarding recycling progress, government policy and the future of Scotland’s waste management.

These statistics reveal a decline in Scotland’s household waste generation, with a 6% decrease from 2021, totaling 2.33 million tonnes in 2022, the lowest recorded since 2011, according to SEPA. In contrast, household recycling rates in 2022 saw a marginal increase to 43.3%. Scotland’s waste also had a reduced carbon impact, accounting for 5.5 million metric tons of CO2 emissions, equivalent to 1.02 metric tons of CO2 emissions per person.

Environmental campaigners, including Friends of the Earth Scotland, argue that the pace of progress is unsatisfactory. The statistics reflect that household waste generation only fell by 7% over the last decade, which means it would take nearly a century to reach the Scottish government’s 70% recycling target at the current rate.

Kim Pratt, circular economy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland, voiced her concerns, saying: “The continued failure of the Scottish Government to improve recycling rates shows that real action is needed to tackle our waste problem.”

The Circular Economy Bill introduced by the Scottish Government aims to transform how materials are used, encouraging reduced consumption, sharing, repairing and recycling. However, campaigners assert that the bill should be fortified with more ambitious consumption targets. 

“The bill offers opportunities to address over consumption through the development and delivery of a circular economy strategy.  It also proposes development of statutory guidance on the delivery of recycling services alongside statutory targets for reuse and recycling,” Zero Waste Scotland recycling manager Adrian Bond tells Packaging Insights. 

Meanwhile, Pratt says: “The Circular Economy Bill is an opportunity to change the way we use materials in Scotland, but at the moment it’s not strong enough to make a significant impact. It needs to include targets to reduce our consumption. The Scottish government must be bold and decisive to create the change needed to meet the threat of climate breakdown.”

Zero Waste Scotland says its analysis showed 52% of general waste could have been recycled.Avenue for carbon reduction 
In addition to SEPA’s household waste statistics, Zero Waste Scotland released a report providing new estimates for household waste composition collected at the curbside in Scotland between 2021-2023 from the physical analysis of waste.

The analysis emphasizes that over half of the material found within residual waste could have been recycled, highlighting untapped opportunities for enhanced waste prevention, recycling and diversion from landfills.

Food waste remains a substantial component of residual waste in Scotland, offering an avenue to reduce carbon emissions associated with waste management. The analysis also revealed a significant need to educate households on using recycling services to their full potential, as only 44% of curbside paper waste was found in the correct recycling container.

More of Scotland’s household waste is now being directed toward incineration than landfills. This change concerns environmentalists since incineration contributes to climate change by emitting greenhouse gasses. Furthermore, it challenges the assurance of recycling materials.

“Our Waste Composition Analysis provided a breakdown of waste collected at the curbside across Scotland over the period 2021-23. It showed that 52% of what was in general waste could have been recycled. Further research would be required to establish reasons why items were and were not disposed of correctly,” says Bond.

“However, as an organization we are working to help make recycling as easy as possible for people. Our online Recycling Sorter Tool allows people to check what item goes in what bin, no matter what council area they live in —  a great resource to get people recycling more.”  

More than recycling needed
Environmentalists maintain that adopting holistic measures for waste management is crucial to improve Scotland’s recycling rates and reduce its carbon emissions. “Recycling is incredibly important for the planet, but moving to a circular economy means more than that,” stresses Pratt.

“Strong consumption targets would mean policies to encourage producers to make products last for longer, ensure they are easy to repair, choose lower carbon materials, and to shift consumption patterns away from carbon intensive goods and services.” 

Zero Waste Scotland’s report analyzed fifteen sampled authorities and showed a wide variation in the level to which recycling services are used correctly. “For glass and garden waste services, the proportion of the overall curbside tonnage found in the correct recycling container was high, with averages of 71% and 88%, respectively,” the report states.

“Conversely, for curbside food waste, only 24% of the overall curbside tonnage was found in the food recycling container. Even where recycling services are well established, the analysis shows that households are still not using recycling services to their full potential. Analysis showed that, on average, only 44% of the curbside tonnage of paper was found in the correct recycling container.”

“Reducing consumption must be prioritized because around four-fifths of Scotland’s carbon footprint comes from the products we make, use and throw away. While recycling has an important role to play, it still creates carbon emissions and so the best thing we can do for the planet is reduce our levels of consumption in the first instance,” Bond tells us.

“There are many strategies to achieve this, including expanding the use of reuse and repair services, supporting businesses creating circular products and services, and helping the public adopt more sustainable ways of living. Our work at Zero Waste Scotland includes helping the reuse sector through our Revolve Reuse Knowledge Hub, working with businesses to identify and adopt circular business practices, and running public awareness campaigns to encourage sustainable lifestyles.” “Reducing consumption must be prioritized because around four-fifths of Scotland’s carbon footprint comes from the products we make, use and throw away,” says Bond.

Collectiveness for circularity
Meanwhile, SEPA maintains that its latest figures have recovered after the “anomalous years of 2020 and 2021, which were impacted by restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic” and show that Scotland “generated the lowest amount of household waste since 2011.”

“Recycling levels fell during the pandemic and it is good to see them recovering, even if the recovery is slower than we would wish,” says Bond.

“As part of the drive to improve recycling the Scottish Government launched the £70M Recycling Improvement Fund, which is administered by Zero Waste Scotland. A number of significant projects have been funded since 2021 but the impact of these projects is not yet being seen, as many are ongoing. We expect to see the impact of these projects coming through in recycling figures for 2023 and beyond.” 

While Scotland aims to enhance its recycling efforts, challenges remain, as seen in the recent delay of the Deposit Return Scheme rollout to March 2024. The delay stems from concerns around bureaucratic processes and the desire for Scottish exemption from the UK’s Internal Market Act. Industry experts assert that a UK-wide approach to such schemes would reduce bureaucracy for businesses and streamline legislation across the UK.

David Harley, interim chief officer of Circular Economy at SEPA, adds: “Scotland is ambitious for a more circular economy where fewer resources are disposed of and much more are reused and recycled, creating a range of environmental, economic and societal benefits. We’ve all got a role to play, from making choices about the resources we use to how we reuse and recycle — and what we dispose of.”

“At SEPA, we’re working closely with the Scottish Government, Zero Waste Scotland and Scottish councils to help improve recyclate quality and support Scottish waste infrastructure — these statistics are an important measure of Scotland’s progress toward a circular economy.” 

By Radhika Sikaria