Scots are recycling greater than ever earlier than because the nation’s recycling fee hits an all-time excessive in information launched by Scotland’s setting watchdog, SEPA.
The Scottish Surroundings Safety Company (SEPA) printed the Scottish Waste From All Sources 2022 Official Statistics on 26 March, which offer particulars on waste from Scottish households, companies and public providers.
Scotland generated 10.16 million tonnes of waste, with 62.3% recycled – the very best recycling fee recorded for the reason that begin of the present collection in 2011.
This information displays the rise within the proportion of building and demolition waste, as the development business rebounded following the pandemic.
Scots additionally continued to cut back their reliance on landfill – with 23.2% of all wastes ending up in landfill, for an all-time low determine of two.30 million tonnes.
Supporting the shift from landfill is the small however important function performed by vitality from waste (incineration) services, which noticed an 8.3% enhance in Scottish waste being handled by incineration in 2022.
Vicki White, Head of Supplies at SEPA stated: “The truth that Scots are recycling greater than ever earlier than is nice information, with our highest recycling fee on report. The newest information not solely exhibits we’re recycling extra and landfilling much less, but in addition that Scottish companies are persevering with to answer customers who’re persevering with to name for much less waste and larger useful resource effectivity.
“Whilst its clear there’s more to do, this latest data is both encouraging and a key milestone in our journey to a more resource efficient, net zero economy.”
A key to driving Scotland’s recycling efficiency is the development and demolition sector, which noticed an extra restoration from the pandemic within the newest SEPA information.
The sector has been boosted by innovation and funding by companies resembling Scottish specialist recycler Brewster Brothers. The corporate, based mostly in Livingston, gained the Scottish Authorities and SEPA backed Scottish Imaginative and prescient in Enterprise Awards Scotland (VIBES) Round Scotland Award in 2023.
The corporate, which takes building, demolition and excavation waste from the development sector and recycles it earlier than promoting it again to the development business, has invested in new capability to fulfill market demand for top of the range recycled mixture merchandise with help from Scottish Enterprise’s Inexperienced Jobs Fund.
Scott Brewster, Managing Director of Brewster Brothers, stated:
“Scotland’s building sector recognises that recycling waste and re-using top quality recycled sand and gravel is just not solely the best factor to do environmentally and socially, but it surely is sensible economically too.
“A key to supporting Scotland’s construction sector is modern, efficient and effective recycling infrastructure across Scotland. At Brewster Brother’s we’re committed to that journey, investing in Scottish infrastructure that has diverted over 1.3 million tonnes of waste from landfill and produced about a million tonnes of recycled aggregates to date. It’s a real Scottish success story that has plenty of capacity to grow further, given over a quarter of waste soils (excavation waste) still ends up in landfill.”
