Less waste and more recycling, especially of food, are crucial in reducing our carbon impact
The fight against climate change begins at home, a new report published by Zero Waste Scotland reveals.
Published to coincide with Recycle Week, which runs till Sunday (30 September), the study shows that less waste and more recycling, especially of food, are crucial in reducing our carbon impact.
It shows that, in 2017, Scottish households reduced the amount of waste they produced, and recycled more of their waste than ever, resulting in the lowest carbon impacts for household waste since the Carbon Metric began measuring in 2011.
<span "="">In 2017, Scottish households prevented nearly 100,000 tonnes of food waste from going in the residual waste bin.
The increase in recycling rates is due to more household food waste recycling collections being rolled out by local authorities - which is good news in terms of preventing food waste which could be turned into energy through anaerobic digestion rather than heading to landfill sites where it emits harmful greenhouse gases.
Iain Gulland, chief executive of Zero Waste Scotland, said: “The fight against climate change really does begin at home. Our Carbon Metric, which for the first time now forms part of Scotland’s official reporting on waste, shows the crucial role householders can play in preventing waste and recycling more of their waste, particularly food waste, and how significant an impact that will have on reducing our climate changing emissions.
“This report gives extra resonance to our message during Recycle Week 2018, when we are urging Scots to recycle as much as they can from all around the home.
Cabinet secretary for the environment, Roseanna Cunningham, said: “The Carbon Metric clearly shows the progress we are making in Scotland on more and better recycling and the importance of that effort in tackling climate change.
“I’d like to thank everyone in Scotland for getting into the recycling habit and urge you to continue to do so, in the knowledge that you are making a real contribution in the vital battle against climate change.”
