Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 (Scottish Carbon Budgets) Amendment Regulations 2025: statement

Waste Management

Emissions in the waste management sector have fallen by around three quarters in 2023 compared to the 1990 baseline, representing one of the most mature sectors in terms of decarbonisation in Scotland. This is reflected in the statistics: in 2022, 23% of all waste in Scotland was landfilled, and a record high proportion of our waste was recycled, at over 62%. Scotland also achieved its waste reduction target for the second consecutive year. By 2023, the amount of waste going to landfill had halved over the past decade, falling to an all-time low of 2 million tonnes.

The next CCP will continue to reflect the Scottish Government’s commitment to delivering a different approach to our economy, one where we move from a "take, make and dispose" model to one where we value materials and keep them in use. This shift is essential to power Scotland's transition to a fair, green and sustainable economy, and critical to meeting our obligations to tackle the twin climate and nature emergencies.

Sectoral emissions for waste are dominated by methane emissions, primarily from the decomposition of waste in landfills. As such, proposals and policies in the CCP are likely to be focussed on reducing these emissions (as well as reducing wider emissions related to the lifecycles of products that ultimately become waste) through embedding circular economy approaches, driving waste reduction, maximising reuse and recycling, and decarbonising disposal routes. The next CCP will build upon and reflect the priorities set out in the Circular Economy and Waste Route Map (2024), and the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024.

To drive decarbonisation, the next CCP will set out plans to publish our first statutory Circular Economy Strategy in 2026, with accompanying targets to be set by 2027 – allowing for holistic tracking of Scotland’s circular economy.

The next CCP will include proposals and policies to reduce food waste, one of the most carbon intensive materials. This will include the development of an intervention plan to guide long-term work on household food waste reduction behaviour change by 2026/27; and development of effective options to implement mandatory reporting of food waste and surplus by businesses from 2025/26.

We will also set out which products we will prioritise for further action to reduce waste based on their environmental and economic impact. This includes our commitment to reduce unsustainable packaging and increase packaging recycling and reuse, with the roll-out and further development of the four-nations Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging, delivery of a Deposit Return Scheme for single-use PET plastic and metal drinks containers in 2027, and further support for packaging reuse and refill. It will also include ongoing collaborative efforts with the other UK governments to implement reform to existing producer responsibility schemes, including for waste electrical and electronic equipment (“WEEE”), batteries, and end-of-life vehicles (“ELVs”), and the potential expansion of producer responsibility to textiles and mattresses.

Proposals and policies will also focus on efforts to improve the quality and quantity of recycling. This includes a forthcoming statutory Code of Practice for household waste services, being co-designed with local authorities and other relevant stakeholders.

To reduce emissions from remaining waste disposal, the CCP will reflect the impact of the forthcoming ban on biodegradable municipal waste to landfill, and set out plans to develop a residual waste plan by 2027, to ensure the best environmental outcome for unavoidable and unrecyclable waste and set strategic direction for management of residual waste to 2045. This will build upon our recent Call for Evidence to support consideration of extending Scotland's upcoming landfill ban to potentially include non-municipal biodegradable (and other) wastes. To tackle emissions from existing and closed landfill sites, we will set out how we will work with industry and the public sector to maximise landfill gas capture opportunities in Scotland.

Other proposals and policies will focus on reducing emissions associated with wastewater, reflecting steps to align with relevant EU Directives, and Scottish Water’s commitment to net zero emissions by 2040.