Waste Reprocessing Infrastructure in Scotland
A report on the waste reprocessing infrastructure in Scotland in accordance with section 23 of the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024.
Footnotes
2 Circularity Gap Report | Zero Waste Scotland
3 Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024
4 Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury - incineration in the waste hierarchy: independent review
5 Landfill Ban Assurance Study | Zero Waste Scotland
6 Soils arise in large quantities in Scotland but are not a focus material for this report due to the availability of existing treatment routes and reprocessing infrastructure
7 Scotland's Circular Economy and Waste Route Map to 2030
8 Waste (from all sources) | Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
9 Waste Site Capacity | Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
10Bioeconomy – parts of the economy that uses renewable biological resources from land and sea (farming, fish and forestry) and converts them into feeds, food, materials and energy.
11 Accelerating the Circular Bioeconomy | Zero Waste Scotland
12 For example, ‘pot ale’ from distilleries does not have an EWC code and so there is no data on the amount of material arising and its end of life use (cattle food, energy generation etc.).
13 Waste Capacity | Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
14 Waste data reporting | Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
16 Activities exempt from waste management licensing | Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
17 Supporting documents - Scottish Annual Business Statistics 2022 - gov.scot
18 UK Recycling and Waste Treatment Market Overview - Tolvik
19 Nomis - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics
21 Waste From All Sources means that the waste reported is the total waste managed, whether it is waste from households, waste from construction and demolition activities, or waste from commerce and industry
22 Zero Waste Scotland. The composition of household waste at the kerbside in 2021-23
23 It is likely that a significant volume of materials are also available in Commercial & Industrial (C&I) and Construction & Demolition (C&D) residual waste, for which data are not currently available
24 Glasgow City Council - Recycling Improvement Fund | Zero Waste Scotland
25 Pollution prevention and control | Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
26 Circularity Gap Report | Zero Waste Scotland
27 Circularity Gap Reporting Initiative - Home
28 Scotland's circular economy and waste route map to 2030 - gov.scot
29 Scottish Household Waste 2022 - SEPA
30 Waste from all sources 2023 - SEPA
31 The composition of household waste at the kerbside in 2021-23 - Zero Waste Scotland
33 The Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012
34 Charter for Household Recycling - Zero Waste Scotland
35 RIF Longitudinal Evaluation
36 Simpler recycling: workplace recycling in England - GOV.UK
37 The Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012
38 See The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 Schedule 5
39 Deposit return scheme - Managing waste - gov.scot
40 As amended by The Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Amendment Regulations 2022, The Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Amendment Regulations 2023, The Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland (Miscellaneous Amendment) Regulations 2023 and The Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Amendment Regulations 2025
42 Scottish Landfill Tax - Taxes - gov.scot
43 UK ETS scope expansion to waste: interim authority response
44 Critical Raw Materials Act - European Commission
45 Packaging waste - European Commission
46 Batteries - European Commission
47 Onshore wind sector deal - gov.scot
49 UK Critical Minerals Recycling and Midstream Processing Capability Assessment
51 The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy
52 Renewable Electricity Capacity - Energy Statistics for Scotland - Q1 2024 - gov.scot
53 Publication forthcoming
54 Accelerating the Circular Bioeconomy | Zero Waste Scotland
55 Celtic Renewables | Leading the green chemical revolution
56 Digital waste tracking service - GOV.UK
57 Waste arisings are based on 2023 data. See Appendix 1 for methodology and the EWC codes used in analysis
58 Compositional data from the Zero Waste Scotland Household Waste Composition Analysis Report[58] has been used to provide an estimated tonnage of plastic within this waste stream arising from households.
59 See list in Appendix 4
60 Waste arisings are based on 2023 data. For details on the methodology and list of EWC codes used in analysis, see Appendix 1.
61 Compositional data from the Zero Waste Scotland Household Waste Composition Analysis Report[61] has been used to provide an estimated tonnage of aluminium within this waste stream arising from households.
62 See Appendix 4
63 Alvance The Future | ALVANCE British Aluminium
64 How should Scotland manage its scrap steel? | Zero Waste Scotland
65 See Appendix 4 - Sites treating materials, Scotland, 2022.
66 Natural Capital Analysis, Screening of Support Proposal for Recycling Infrastructure in Scotland, 2021
67 Natural Capital Analysis, Screening of Support Proposal for Recycling Infrastructure in Scotland, 2021
68 Waste arisings are based on 2023 data. See Appendix 1 for methodology and the EWC codes used in analysis
69 PackFlow Refresh 2023: Wood (WRAP)
70 Compositional data from the Zero Waste Scotland Household Waste Composition Analysis Report[70] has been used to provide an estimated tonnage of wood within this waste stream arising from households.
71 Over 97% of UK waste wood processed in 2023 - Wood Recyclers Association
72 See list in Appendix 4
73 Over 97% of UK waste wood processed in 2023 - Wood Recyclers Association
74 Household Waste Composition Analysis | Zero Waste Scotland
75 UK arisings of FBC cartons are estimated to be approximately 60 kt, which leads to an estimate of around 4.8 kt arising from Scotland alone, based on population size.
76 ZWS estimates that 289 million FBC beverage cups were placed on the market in Scotland in 2021/22, with a total weight of approximately 3.5 kt
77See list in Appendix 4
78 Recycling of multilayer composite packaging: the beverage carton - Zero Waste Scotland
79 Waste arisings are based on 2023 data. See Appendix 1 for methodology and the EWC codes used in analysis
80 See list in Appendix 4
81 See Appendix 3 - Accredited Reprocessors for a full list
82 Waste arisings are based on 2023 data. See Appendix 1 for methodology and the EWC codes used in analysis.
83 See list in Appendix 4
84 See Appendix 3 for a full list
86 SusWIND | National Composites Centre
87 Robin Rigg East and West offshore wind farm
88 Assumed to be the sum of EWC-stat categories “Animal and mixed food waste” and “Vegetal waste”
89 Unpublished data is based on estimates provided by Zero Waste Scotland, in their Textiles Flow into and within Scotland (to be published Autumn 2025).
90 A comprehensive picture of textile waste is not available from SEPA WFAS data. Many organisations that reprocess textiles in Scotland do not hold waste management licences and do not report activities to SEPA.
91 The Carbon Footprint of Scotland’s Household Waste, Zero Waste Scotland, 2023
92 Recycling Improvement Fund (RIF) | Zero Waste Scotland
93 NBF Recycling Reports - The National Bed Federation
94 NBF Recycling Reports - The National Bed Federation
95 See list in Appendix 4
96 Tyre sector plan | Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
97 See list in Appendix 4
98 For comparison, in 2024 there were 12 operators reporting through the tool treating 332,120 tonnes of dry mixed recycling, with Wyllie Recycling in Perth reporting for the first time.
99 Including 2,008 tonnes of material from England
101 Waste Site Capacity - SEPA
102 Household Waste Composition Analysis | Zero Waste Scotland
103 Household Waste Composition Analysis | Zero Waste Scotland
Contact
Email: brandon.marry@gov.scot