Landfill waste falls by 36% as recycling rate soars

Landfill waste levels have dropped by more than a third in five years, new figures show.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said the amount of rubbish being landfilled from businesses and households was down by 36 per cent between 2005 and 2009.

Household recycling rates increased by 45 per cent at the same time.

The agency's annual Waste Data Digest also shows that the amount of rubbish generated overall fell by 22 per cent over the same period.

Martin Marsden, head of environmental quality at Sepa, said: "The conclusions from these latest figures are very encouraging and show that, as a nation, we are producing less waste, recycling more and landfilling less. All of which is good news for protecting the environment."

But he warned: "There are still challenges ahead, and we must all accept that new services, facilities and, most importantly, changes to our lifestyles will be needed if we are to further prevent, reuse and recycle our waste in Scotland. We will be working with the Scottish Government, Zero Waste Scotland, the waste management industry and Scottish local authorities to help make that happen."