Chamber and committees

Participation rate information for businesses in Scotland is not available centrally and local councils should be approached in seeking this information.

This information is publically available through the SEPA Recyclate Quality Reporting Tool, which can be accessed here: https://informatics.sepa.org.uk/RecyclateQuality/

The tool presents data from samples taken from material streams entering and exiting material recovery facilities (MFRs). The tool reports the percentage of materials collected that are considered to be ‘target’ materials for recycling.

In April 2019, we published the Waste Markets Study which assessed the treatment options for Scottish biodegradable municipal waste. The study is available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/waste-markets-study-full-report/

We have also commissioned work to assess the residual waste treatment capacity needs up to 2025, in light of our commitment to end the practice of landfilling biodegradable municipal waste by 2025. This work is ongoing and we will publish it in due course.

Detailed modelling to provide projections of future recycling performance is being undertaken as part of our work to develop a route map towards our 2025 recycling and waste targets, as set out in our update to the Climate Change Plan.

Scotland’s Waste Data Strategy board keeps Scotland’s evidence requirements for waste and materials under constant review.

Previous analyses of the composition of household municipal waste were undertaken in 2009 and 2014-15. Zero Waste Scotland had planned to undertake a further analysis in 2020, however, this was delayed due to Covid-19. Work to develop local authority projects restarted in July 2021 and waste sampling and analysis is planned to start in October 2021.

Zero Waste Scotland has forecast costs of £155,000 in 2021-22. The staff resource allocation for this project is not recorded to this level of detail.

The latest figures are from September 2015 and can be found in Zero Waste Scotland’s report: How Much Food Waste Is There in Scotland? , published in 2016, showing that over 1.5 million Scottish households had access to food waste collection.

The Scottish Government does not hold this data centrally.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02631 on 13 September 2021 September 2021. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Eligibility for Free Personal Care is identified by an assessment of need. The assessment is carried out by a member of staff of the local authority's social work department. Local authorities have a duty under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 to assess the needs of people and decide, in the light of this assessment, whether they should arrange any services and, if so, which services.

Scottish Government and Zero Waste Scotland have ongoing engagement with local authorities, individually and collectively, as well as with private companies & industry associations. For example, our Waste Sector Forum, which meets monthly, includes representatives from COSLA, the local authority waste management officers network, SEPA, and waste sector and third sector trade bodies. Other examples of engagement include:

• A workshop on addressing contamination of recyclate.
• Provision of an online platform to match availability and demand for resource during the early stages of the Covid pandemic across local authorities and private companies.
• Workshops to gather input from local authorities and material recovery facility operators to support the review of the Household Recycling Charter Code of Practice.
• Support to local authorities and private companies to adapt recycling facilities to allow operation whilst meeting Covid restrictions.
• Support for local authority collaborative procurement of a glass reprocessing contract.