Objective:
Manage waste sustainably by reducing, reusing, recycling and recovering waste to improve resource efficiency whilst working towards a circular economy. A circular economy involves sharing, repairing, reusing, leasing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products for as long as possible, to extend their life cycle and recycling as a last resort.
Why take action?
The way we obtain, use and dispose of goods has a significant impact on our carbon footprint. The economy has continued to move from a manufacturing base towards the services sector and one of the consequences of this is that more of the goods we buy and use are now produced overseas. We are all consumers – of food and drink, personal travel, household products and travel tourism. As such, we are accountable to some degree for the pressures which our consumption puts on the environment. Changes in material consumption patterns and a shift towards more sustainable waste management not only saves money; they also have significant implications for reducing emissions.
The five main policy drivers to reduce waste generation and increase recycling rates in Scotland are:
- Ban on biodegradable waste to landfill from 2025
- Reduce waste arisings in Scotland by 15% against 2011 levels by 2025
- Reduce food waste arisings in Scotland by 33% against 2013 levels by 2025
- Achieve 70% recycle rate for all waste by 2025
- Landfill no more than 5% of waste by 2025