This is a policy statement and relates to the Official Statistics Publication for Scotland – Scottish Waste From All Sources 2022 published at 9.30am on Tuesday 26 March 2024.
Highlights are:
- Scottish recycling rate reaches all time high as Scottish households, businesses and public services recycle 62.3% of all waste in the latest data (2022) from Scotland’s environmental watchdog, SEPA.
- The recycling rate increased 5.3% from the 57.0% rate in 2021 – reflecting economic recovery from the pandemic and an increase in the proportion of construction and demolition material recycled.
- Scotland continues to reduce its reliance on landfill – with only 23.2% of all wastes ending up in landfill – an all-time low.
- Supporting the shift from landfill is the small but important role played by energy from waste (incineration) facilities, which saw an 8.3% increase in Scottish waste being treated by incineration in 2022.
