The Scottish government is set to ban biodegradable municipal waste from landfill sites as part of a set of regulations that could boost the country’s economy by £178m by 2025.
The Zero Waste Regulations were unveiled by environment secretary Richard Lochhead (left) as Scotland bids to become one of the best recyclers in Europe.
Other measures in the proposed regulations include:
- A ban on material collected for recycling going to landfill or incineration
- New requirements to remove key recyclables from unsorted waste prior to incineration
- New requirements on businesses to present recyclable material for collection
Lochhead said: “This is a major step forward in the Scottish Government’s drive towards zero waste.
“Our ban on municipal biodegradable waste going to landfill by 2020 is the first of its kind in the UK and one of the most ambitious of its kind in Europe, if not the world.”
Government-funded delivery body Zero Waste Scotland published research showing that the regulations would benefit Scotland’s economy by £178m by 2025.
Zero Waste Scotland director Iain Gulland said: “Our research shows that additional costs associated with collecting and sorting more recycling will be offset by greater returns to be made from the sale and reprocessing of high quality materials and by lower residual waste management costs.”
The Zero Waste regulations will go to the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee before being voted on in the Scottish Parliament.
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