This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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25 per cent recycling target by 2006
12/09/2002
Local authorities should be able to recycle 25% of
municipal waste by 2006, the Executive announced today.
As part of the Spending Review, more than £170 million
has been committed to waste management to increase the
proportion of waste recycled and composted four-fold the
current proportion of 6 per cent.
The target is to be included in the Executive's National
Waste Strategy.
£140 million has been allocated for the Strategic Waste
Fund, to be used to support both capital and current
expenditure by local authorities on the implementation of
Area Waste Plans.
Over £21 million is allocated for other initiatives,
including recycling market development and waste
minimisation and handling and disposal of waste fridges and
hazardous waste.
Around £10m will fund additional work by the Scottish
Environment Protection Agency in regulating waste,
implementing the National Waste Strategy and to take
account of inflationary pressures on existing local
authority waste expenditure.
Environment Minister Ross Finnie said:
"This spending review is about our investment in
Scotland's future, improving the quality of life of our
people and our communities. Scottish people want to recycle
much more their waste, rather than know it is all just
dumped in landfills. With the extra funding announced
today, the Executive has now allocated over £230m over 3
years to the Strategic Waste Fund to helpfor local
authorities to implement the National Waste Strategy.
"I expect to see our figures for recycling and
composting of municipal waste tofigures increase from an
inadequate 6% to around 25% by 2006. This ambitious target
is a key milestone on the way to further increases in
future. I have also announced another £21m extra for
initiatives in areas like waste reduction and recycling
market developmentthat will complement the Waste Strategy
and help these targets be achieved.
"Sustainable development cuts across all our priorities
to safeguard the environment for everyone in the future.
One of the most real examples of this is our commitment to
improve waste management. It is time for real change, and
we are providing real money to make this happen."
"But people cannot just sit back and expect these
changes to happen. We all produce waste, from our
households and at work. Everyone has a part to play in
tackling the waste mountain. So I want local authorities to
help in finalising the Area Waste Plans without delay and
to work in partnerships to deliver economies of scale.
"Businesses can help by green procurement, using
recycled materials to save valuable resources and reducing
their waste. And individuals can play their part, by
reducing, reusing and recycling where they can. This is the
message we are giving out in the next stage of our "do a
little: change a lot" campaign which was first shown on TV
this month."
The Executive adopted the National Waste Strategy in
December 1999.
The Strategic Waste Fund was set up to allow specific
grants to be paid to local authorities to implement 11 Area
Waste Plans which have been prepared. It now has £16
million allocated for the current year (2002-03), £30.2
million for 20003-04, £90.2 million for 2004-05 and £111.7
million for 2005-06.
The Executive's target would reduce landfilling of
biodegradable municipal waste to 1.5 million tonnes in
2006.