The government said that the plan aims to drive change and inspire households, businesses, community groups, local authorities and the wider public sector to change the way they view and deal with waste. It contains a broader approach to tackle all waste, not just waste collected by councils.
The plan introduces new measures, including landfill bans for specific waste types, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and capturing their value, separate collections of specific waste types, including food to avoid contaminating other materials and increase in reuse and recycling opportunities.
It has set two new targets that will apply to all waste and which will require 70% of the target to be recycled, and maximum 5% to be sent to landfill, both by 2025. The plan specifies that restrictions on the input to all energy from waste facilities, in the past will only be applicable to municipal waste.
The plan further encourages local authorities and the resource management sector to establish practice commitments and work together to create consistent waste management services, benefiting businesses and the public.
Other key measures in the plan include development of a waste prevention program for all wastes, making prevention and reuse central to actions and policies and providing improved information on different waste sources and types highlighting further economic and environmental opportunities.
The plan also stresses the need to measure the carbon impacts of waste to prioritize the recycling of resources. The new Zero Waste Scotland program will integrate the activities of existing programs, which is expected to result in more focused delivery of the Zero Waste plan, according to the government.
Iain Gulland, director of Zero Waste, Scotland said: “Zero Waste is no longer an aspiration; it is a necessity for the future economic and environmental prosperity of Scotland.
“The Scottish government’s new Zero Waste plan is a bold vision, but its successful delivery will require people from all walks of life to engage with the issues, understand the true cost of waste and transform the way they produce or consume goods and services.”
