Key Scottish Environment Statistics 2009
Annual publication containing summary of key statistics on environmental trends in Scotland
Waste
Waste Sent to Landfill R: 2000-2008
Million tonnes
Million tonnes
2000 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 1 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Biodegradable Municipal Waste 2 |
1.90 |
1.77 |
1.72 |
1.54 |
1.47 |
1.37 |
1.26 |
Total waste sent to landfill 3 |
11.14 |
7.88 |
7.81 |
7.32 |
7.23 |
7.37 |
- |
The disposal of waste to landfill can result in the loss of many tonnes of valuable materials, release pollutants into the soil and watercourses, and emit methane, a greenhouse gas.
Landfill is at the bottom of the waste hierarchy. In Scotland, 7.4 million tonnes were landfilled in 2007 and Biodegradable Municipal Waste ( BMW) accounted for 1.4 million tonnes (19%) of this total. Between 2000 and 2007 the total waste sent to landfill decreased by 34%, while the amount of BMW sent to landfill decreased by 28%. In 2008/09 BMW sent to landfill fell further to 1.26 million tonnes. BMW items such as paper and card, textiles, food and garden waste decompose and release the greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide.
The EU Landfill Directive (1999/31/ EC) requires a reduction in the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill. The target for the amount of BMW sent to landfill (also a national indicator) is 1.32 million tonnes by 2010. The EU Landfill Directive then also requires it to fall to 880,000 tonnes by 2013, and 620,000 tonnes by 2020.
The Landfill Tax was introduced in 1996 in order to discourage the disposal of waste to landfill. The tax rate was increased to £40 per tonne for biodegradable waste for 2009/10, and will continue to rise by £8 each year until at least 2013. The lower rate applying to inactive waste increased from £2 to £2.50 per tonne on 1 April 2008 and will be frozen at that figure until 2010/11.
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