Current status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 2 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to be able to meet its (a) 2013 and (b) 2020 household recycling target.
Scotland has made significant progress in reducing waste, increasing recycling and decarbonising the waste sector, but there is further work to be done. The Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024 and Circular Economy & Waste Route Map set out Scottish Government plans to introduce a statutory Code of Practice for household waste services to accelerate improvements to both the quality and quantity of recycling.
The Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024 also includes our commitment to determine new circular economy targets for Scotland to support our work to reduce emissions to tackle the climate emergency.
The overall recycling rate in Scotland of 62.3% in 2022 is at its highest level since records began in 2011. In 2023 the household recycling rate was 43.5%.