The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) says figures published today (27 September 2021) reflect the reality of easing pandemic restrictions.
Official statistics by SEPA provide detail of Household Waste collected across all Local Authorities during 2021, as well as waste landfilled and incinerated in Scotland in 2021.
An increase in both the amount of waste generated and the amount recycled is likely due to a bounce back after lockdowns and other restrictions were lifted, SEPA says. While increases in waste wood and construction waste are likely due to people restarting home improvement projects.
Scotland generated 2.48 million tonnes of household waste (0.45 tonnes per person) in 2021, an increase of 55,000 tonnes (2.3%) from 2020. And achieved an overall household recycling rate of 42.7%, up slightly from 2020.
Recycling is a simple daily step everyone can take to build a more sustainable Scotland.
Recycling of household wood and construction wastes increased after lockdowns. The official statistics also show the carbon impact of Scotland’s waste increased by 53,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) in 2021 but is down 860,000 tonnes of CO2e since 2011.
According to the figures, waste from all sources landfilled in Scotland in 2021 increased by 22.4% largely due to more soils and sorting residues being landfilled. Meanwhile, waste from all sources incinerated in Scotland in 2021 increased by 7.4%, also mainly due to an increase in sorting residues incinerated.
The amount of segregated recyclate collected via kerbside collections in 2021 was 721,000 tonnes, an increase of 5,400 tonnes (0.7%) from 2020. The change was more pronounced for rural authorities (up 4,700 tonnes, 1.6%) compared to urban authorities (up 600 tonnes, 0.1%).
These increases continue the overall trend since 2013 when 578,096 tonnes were collected, an overall increase of 24.8%.
2021 was the first time in 10 years there was no decrease in household waste sent to landfill – though the amount was more than half what was disposed of in 2011.
The latest figures are a timely reminder of the need for a continued focus on recycling by us all.
The increase of 4,000 tonnes to 664,000 tonnes, was a 0.6% increase from 2020, but 54.4% less than 2011. While there was an increase in the amount of waste landfilled, there was a slight decrease in the percentage sent to landfill (down 0.4 percentage points).
Waste and Landfill Tax Manager at SEPA, Gary Walker, said: “The latest official statistics reflect the reality of the easing of Covid pandemic restrictions, as household waste recycling centres re-opened. While Scotland has seen a reduction in the amount of waste generated in the last decade, the latest figures are a timely reminder of the need for a continued focus on recycling by us all.
“Recycling is a simple daily step everyone can take to build a more sustainable Scotland. We can all make choices to reduce the amount of waste we generate and keep products and materials in use for as long as possible through re-use and recycling to help Scotland tackle the climate emergency.”
