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Waste
Local Authorities' Recycling5of Household Waste: 1999/2000 to 2004/2005
Percentage recycled or composted
| 1999/2000 | 2000/2001 | 2002/2003 | 2003/2004 | 2004/2005 |
|---|
Rural councils6 | 7.0 | 9.3 | 10.7 | 12.3 | 16.3 |
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Urban councils6 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 9.8 | 13.2 | 19.4 |
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All councils | 5.1 | 6.1 | 10.1 | 12.9 | 18.6 |
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The strong dependence on landfill for waste management in Scotland is not sustainable since it involves the depletion of both renewable and finite natural resources. In addition, extracting and processing raw materials may consume large quantities of energy, release pollutants and destroy landscapes and ecosystems. Reducing, reusing and recovering waste are key sustainable development objectives.
Councils obtain waste for recycling by collections at recycling centres (e.g. bottle banks), separate kerbside collection of recyclable materials, or separating waste after collection.
In 2004/2005, 18.6% of all household waste collected by or on behalf of local authorities in Scotland was recycled, rural councils recycling 16.3% and urban councils recycling 19.4% of household waste. In previous years, rural councils recycled more waste than urban councils. The recent growth in recycling in urban areas is largely due to the implementation of kerbside recycling schemes which are more expensive to introduce in rural areas.
In the National Waste Plan, 7 the Scottish Executive has set a target of 25% of total municipal waste 8 to be recycled by 2006. SEPA provisionally estimate that in 2005 22.8% of municipal waste was recycled or composted.
SOURCE: ACCOUNTS COMMISSION FOR SCOTLAND 9
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