Question reference: S6W-01789
- Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 22 July 2021
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Current status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 August 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Household Recycling Charter that has been agreed with COSLA, and the associated Code of Practice, contain a requirement for local authorities to reduce the frequency of collections of non-recyclable waste.
Answer
The Scottish Household Recycling Charter, agreed in partnership between Scottish Government and COSLA, aims to bring more consistency to recycling services. One of the principles of the charter when designing services is to reduce the capacity provided for waste that cannot be recycled to encourage citizens to recycle, while ensuring all citizens have access to services for recycling and are provided with adequate volumes of containers in line with the Code of Practice.
As part of the Programme for Government 2020-2021, Scottish Government have committed to review the Household Recycling Charter’s Code of Practice, to reflect current best practice and make it easier for households to recycle the right things. The review is a key step in developing a future model of recycling collections, aligning with Scotland’s new deposit return scheme to drive further consistency.
Zero Waste Scotland are leading an advisory group with representatives from Local Authorities and COSLA, to review the Code of Practice. Residual waste capacity is being considered as part of the review.