I have written to the Chief Executive of Fife Council calling for an immediate review to find out why the local authority’s recycling record has fallen so drastically and asking for urgent action to address rising waste.
The most recent household recycling target was for 60 per cent of household waste to be recycled by 2020 – but in 2019, the percentage achieved in Fife was only 44.5 per cent. This is first time since the meaning of household waste was changed in 2011 that Fife Council has fallen below 50 per cent recycling rates.
I am asking Fife Council to carry out an immediate review to find out why the recycling rates are so poor.
In 2011 Fife Council had the best recycling rates in the country, and now we are amongst some of the worst. We need to get to the bottom of this and find out why recycling rates in Fife have been falling.
The Scottish Government also need to ensure that local communities have good access to local recycling facilities. There is too much reliance on large-scale incineration and we need better plans put forward to help generate a circular economy with much less waste.
We are in the middle of a climate emergency and every government around the world needs to recognise that and take the necessary steps to address it. Helping with recycling and tackling waste may be a small step in tackling the climate emergency, but it is a vitally important one to take.
Notes:
Tonnage and percentage of household waste recycled in 2019 by local authority area:
• Data available from SEPA household waste statistics to 2019: https://informatics.sepa.org.uk/HouseholdWaste/
