Towards Zero Waste
Foreword by Richard Lochhead MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment
Before devolution in 1999, Scotland was almost wholly dependent on landfill to treat its waste. Over the course of the last 10 years, we have started on the journey towards treating waste arisings from households and business as a resource. We recycle more; landfill less; are doing more to prevent waste in the first place and reuse more materials. Since 1999:
- The recycling and composting rate for municipal waste has increased from around 5% to over 33%.
- The total amount of waste sent to landfill has reduced from 10.9 million tonnes to 7.4 million tonnes.
- There has been progress on European Union targets and we have already achieved the 2010 target on reducing the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill.
The Scottish Government has also adopted Zero Waste as our goal. Zero Waste does not mean that waste disappears. Instead, it means eliminating the unnecessary use of raw materials; sustainable design; resource efficiency and waste prevention; re-using products where possible; and recovering value from products when they reach the end of their lives either through recycling, composting or energy recovery, in accordance with the waste hierarchy.
Zero Waste means that everyone in Scotland - business, householders and the public and voluntary sectors - needs to reflect on how to reduce the amount of waste that is produced; how we can reduce unnecessary consumption and how we can improve our recycling rates. Zero Waste is part of the wider picture of environmental sustainability which means taking care of the one planet on which our lives depend.
Adopting Zero Waste converts waste from an end into a means - a resource, not a problem. Scotland can benefit in a number of important ways. Greenhouse gas emissions decrease, helping in the fight against climate change. Business opportunities increase in areas such as sustainable design, collections, reprocessing of recycled material and resource efficiency. The overall environmental, social and economic health of Scotland improves.
Much has been achieved. However, a huge amount remains to be done. In particular, we need to continue the shift to more positive environmental behaviour. Not just by householders, but by business too. This consultation draft of Scotland's Zero Waste Plan outlines a vision of the way ahead and how this will be achieved. However, before the Plan is finalised, we want to hear your views. So this is your opportunity to influence the longer-term direction of waste policy.
Richard Lochhead