Government urged to cut more waste

Published on Monday 1 February 2010 08:48

LABOUR'S UK environment secretary Hilary Benn has urged the Scottish Government to do more to tackle waste.

An Audit Scotland report earlier last month warned Scotland's recycling targets were at risk of not being met.

On a visit to Edinburgh, Mr Benn said: "The long-promised zero waste strategy still hasn't appeared after a couple of years."

He said he hoped Scotland would adopt a new ban on certain materials going to landfill sites which he is due to unveil in the next few weeks.

He said: "I'm about to consult, probably next month, on landfill bans for a number of products.

"Overall domestic recycling rates have risen from eight per cent to 37 per cent in 12 years, which is tribute to what can be done. The question now is: what next?"

He said it was "not sensible" to put food waste into landfill, where it produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, when it could be put into special "anaerobic digester" waste disposal units and generate clean, renewable energy."