19 July 2011

Waste sent to landfill in Scotland drops by over a third
The amount of waste from Scottish homes and businesses sent to landfill has dropped by almost 36% in the past five years, according to latest figures from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

SEPA's annual Waste Data Digest shows that between 2005 and 2009, the total amount of waste generated fell by 22% in Scotland. In addition, the total amount of controlled waste landfilled dropped from 7.3M tonnes in 2005 to 4.7M tonnes in 2009.

The survey also revealed that between 2005 and 2009, the amount of biodegradable waste sent to landfill fell by 26% while waste treated rose by 30%. The amount of household waste recycled and composted also grew by 45% between 2005 and 2009.

SEPA's head of environmental quality, Martin Marsden, said: "The conclusions from these latest figures are very encouraging. There are still challenges ahead and we must accept that new services, facilities and changes to our lifestyles will be needed if we are to further prevent, reuse and recycle our waste in Scotland. "

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