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Small rise in Scottish household recycling rate, but big gains are still going in our bins

Scotland’s latest household waste statistics, published today by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), show a small rise in recycling rates. But with over half of the waste still going in general bins able to be recycled, that figure could be much higher.  

In 2024 each person in Scotland generated an average of 0.42 tonnes of household waste. Of that, 0.19 tonnes was recycled, 0.05 tonnes was sent to landfill and 0.19 tonnes was diverted away from landfill through other means, such as incineration.   

In total, householders in Scotland recycled 44.3% of their waste in 2024. Of the waste remaining, 36.8% was incinerated, 11.0% went to landfill and the remainder was sent for other treatment. That means that almost half of the waste from Scottish homes is still disposed of through incineration or landfill rather than being recycled. 

While the overall amount of household waste generated in 2024 increased slightly on the previous year, the longer-term trend shows clear progress. Household waste generated has fallen by 11.2% since 2011, and the amount of household waste sent to landfill has reduced by more than three-quarters (82.5%) over the same period, reflecting Scotland’s transition away from disposal and towards recycling and recovery. 

And with recent research from Zero Waste Scotland highlighting that half of what goes into general household bins could be recycled, small changes in every day behaviour could have a big impact on Scotland’s recycling ambitions.  

The role of incineration in managing our waste

It’s important that Scotland continues to reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill. Landfill produces emissions as materials break down over many years, leaving a long-term waste legacy. Reducing the environmental impact of waste depends on two key actions: preventing waste in the first place and increasing recycling.  

An independent review of the role of incineration in Scotland in 2022 stated that incineration will have a role to play in managing our waste as we transition to a circular economy, in addition to being a more preferable way of dealing with waste than landfill as it can also recover energy from the waste.  

Ross Haggart, SEPA's Chief Operating Officer for Regulation, Business and Environment, said:  

“Generating and reporting official waste statistics is a vital part of SEPA’s role, providing the evidence base that supports informed decision-making, and drives progress towards environmental outcomes. What the latest household waste statistics highlight is the importance of the choices made in every home.  

“Research from Zero Waste Scotland shows that around 52% of what goes into general household bins could be recycled, including key materials like food waste, paper, cardboard, and plastic. By making better use of existing recycling schemes and ensuring key recyclables don’t end up in general waste bins, we will see a real change in how much residual waste needs to be incinerated.    

“The choice isn’t between recycling or energy recovery, but rather a firm focus on improving recycling with energy recovery from what’s left over. What is clear is that in order to reduce the need for energy from waste facilities, we must all strive to reduce the waste we produce and increase our recycling as much as possible. Every household can play a part in reducing emissions and supporting Scotland’s transition to a circular economy by recycling more and wasting less.” 

Carbon impact of household waste

The Scottish carbon metric measures emissions from resource use, from production to waste management.  

In 2024, the carbon impact of household waste was 5.31 million tonnes CO₂e, equivalent to 0.96 tonnes CO₂e per person. This represents a 0.7% reduction from 2023 and a 21.5% reduction since 2011, demonstrating the environmental benefits of recycling and waste reduction.

All waste landfilled and incinerated

NOTES TO EDITORS

Household statistics – Household waste generated and managed 2024

Link to by local authority table – Household Waste

All waste landfilled – Waste landfilled in Scotland 2024

All waste incinerated – Waste Incinerated in Scotland 2024

All waste generated and all waste recycling will be published in 2026. 

The definition of household waste and clarification of what counts and what does not count towards the recycling rate is available in the Zero Waste Plan – guidance for local authorities, published in March 2011.   

Official statistics are produced by SEPA’s statisticians in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. Further details on the methodology used to produce the figures are provided in the accompanying  data quality reports.   

Data on waste are collected to monitor policy effectiveness, and to support policy development, particularly commitments in the Scottish Government's Making Things Last - A Circular Economy Strategy for Scotland.    

The figures are accurate at the time of publication, however data may be updated if further revisions are necessary. Normally these revisions will be published concurrent with the next official release. 

The independent review on the role of incineration in Scotland was published in 2022.  

Zero Waste Scotland estimated that approximately 550,000 tonnes, or 52%, of residual waste is made up of waste types that can typically be recycled at the kerbside in their report: The composition of household waste at the kerbside in 2021-2023. They also estimated that food waste remains the largest single waste type in the residual waste stream at approximately 330,000 tonnes per annum.