In more positive waste news this month, figures released by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have suggested that Scotland has almost reached its 2008 recycling target a year in advance. In the 12 months up to June this year, the recycling and composting rate was 29.8%, just fractionally short of the 30% target set for the end of 2008. Even better figures for the last quarter (April - June 2007) were considerably higher at 33.4% making the outlook very promising. If this trend was repeated in the year ending June 2008, Scotland would effectively shatter the 30% target.
However the Scottish Government has warned that the benchmark for the target will be year-on-year figures, and Scotland's performance will be judged on a full year's results. Recycling rates always tend to be bigger during the summer months due to the contribution made by collection and composting of green wastes.
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment Richard Lochhead said, "It was only September when I was delighted to announce that by the end of 2006, Scotland was recycling and composting more than 25% of its municipal waste. Now, mere weeks later, I have again been presented with good news. The target of 30% does not take effect until the end of next year, but we are well on course to smash it. I am also heartened to see the amount of waste going to landfill continuing to fall, and following the Waste Summit held last month, we are looking at ways to further improve our performance on waste and conserve the earth's precious resources."
