The Scottish Government has proposed raising Scotland’s national recycling rates. The Government’s goal is to raise them from the current 30% rate to a 40% recycling level in 2010 and then up to 70% by 2025.
There will be greater job opportunities in collection, in sorting, and in reprocessing - in turning recycled materials into products.
Scotland’s environment secretary Richard Lochhead said he would consult on the “tough” new targets. Building on election goals to create a “zero waste society”, Mr Lochhead stated that his administration wants no more than a quarter of Scotland’s municipal waste to be used to generate energy. And, he spoke out against allowing “large, inefficient incinerators” to be developed.
A three-year “Zero Waste Fund” is to be set up to drive forward waste prevention, recycling and composting. In addition, local authority plans to develop major incineration projects could be rejected by the Scottish Government.
Pointing out that most waste in Scotland comes from the commercial and industrial sector, Mr Lochhead also said he would offer new information on new targets for non-municipal waste.
In a statement to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh yesterday afternoon, he stated: “Zero Waste is about the zero misuse of resource and builds on the waste hierarchy of reduce, reuse and recycle. I think we all agree moving towards zero waste is a long journey - but one we must start now.”
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