The whole quantity of family waste generated in Scotland in 2023 was 2.3 million tonnes, a drop of 1.1% from 2022, in line with Scottish Atmosphere Safety Company (SEPA) statistics revealed on 29 October.
That is additionally the bottom quantity of family waste generated for the reason that begin of the present recording interval in 2011. Of this, 43.5% was recycled, a 0.2% improve from 2022.
Scottish family waste landfilled in 2023 was 409,000 tonnes, a lower of 177,000 tonnes (30.2%) from 2022, persevering with a long-standing downward development, in SEPA’s evaluation, with a 71.9% discount in family waste landfilled since 2011.
The quantity of family waste managed by different means (diverted from landfill) was 894,000 tonnes, a 21.6% improve on 2022. Most of this was managed by incineration (746,000 tonnes, 83.5%).
The whole amount of waste landfilled in Scotland in 2023 was 2.0 million tonnes, a lower of 14.8% from 2022. This continues a long-term development, with a discount of 5.1 million tonnes since 2005, and is the bottom annual quantity on document of waste landfilled since then.
A lot of the lower was because of a discount in family and comparable waste and soils. The discount in family and comparable wastes comes because the waste administration sector is making ready for the 2025 ban of biodegradable municipal waste to landfill.
The whole amount of waste incinerated in Scotland in 2023 was 1.62 million tonnes, a rise of 15.4% from 2022. Family and comparable wastes represented 33.8% of the entire waste incinerated in Scotland.
Over one third of waste incinerated was in services that utilized for and have been accredited with the R1 power effectivity standards, a certification utilized to waste services that primarily use waste as a gas for producing power, making certain that the incineration course of is classed as restoration reasonably than disposal. R1-certified services obtain particular power effectivity ranges, making waste incineration a putatively sustainable choice by maximizing power output relative to the waste used.
Carbon influence of Scottish family waste
The Scottish carbon metric quantifies the whole-life influence of assets. A measure of nationwide efficiency, the metric makes an attempt to take a holistic view, spanning useful resource extraction and manufacturing emissions, by to waste administration emissions. That is measured in carbon dioxide equal (CO2e).
The carbon influence of Scottish family waste generated and managed in 2023 was 5.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equal (CO2e), which equates to 0.98 tonnes of CO2e per individual.
This was a lower of three.2% from 2022 and represents the bottom carbon influence of family waste generated and managed since reporting started in 2011 with the introduction of the Scottish Authorities’s Zero Waste Plan.
Round Economic system (Scotland) Act 2024
The Scottish Authorities’s Round Economic system Act, which obtained Royal Assent in August 2024, establishes the legislative framework to assist Scotland’s transition to a zero waste and round economic system, with the probability that it’s going to considerably improve reuse and recycling charges, and modernise and enhance waste and recycling companies.
The draft route map proposes coverage initiatives with a particular concentrate on delivering a system-wide round economic system throughout Scotland, accelerating sustainable use of assets and decreasing emissions related to waste and assets, and might be revealed later this yr.
“Scotland has ambitions for a round economic system the place extra of the supplies produced and consumed in Scotland are re-used, recycled and remanufactured in Scotland, creating a spread of environmental, financial and societal advantages,” says SEPA,
Jo Zwitserlood, Head of Power, Business and Supplies at SEPA, commented:”We’ve all bought a task to play – the consumption of merchandise and use of supplies touches on each one in all us. We’re making optimistic steps in the direction of decreasing the carbon influence of Scotland’s family waste and seeing decrease quantities of waste generated and disposed of to landfill, which is essential to addressing the environmental influence of waste administration.
“At SEPA we proceed to play our half in serving to Scotland transition to a round economic system, working collaboratively with Scottish Authorities, Zero Waste Scotland, Scottish Councils, and Scotland’s reprocessing and waste administration sector.”
Iain Gulland, Chief Government at Zero Waste Scotland, mentioned: “Once we all work collectively we will make an actual distinction, so it’s extraordinarily welcome to see the efforts of individuals at residence mirrored in SEPA’s newest knowledge – with family waste at its lowest stage in over a decade and recycling charges persevering with to climb.
“Waste discount and recycling are integral to Scotland’s round economic system imaginative and prescient, and the newest knowledge reveals we’re making nice progress. Let’s hold that momentum going and try in the direction of a extra sustainable future for Scotland we will all be happy with.”
