Scotland has reduced the amount of household waste sent to landfill by more than 84% since 2011, but recycling rates have shown little improvement, according to official statistics published on 27 October by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).
The figures reveal a growing divergence between progress in diverting waste from landfill and efforts to prevent waste generation and recover recyclable materials.
In 2025, Scottish households generated 2.31 million tonnes of waste, virtually unchanged from the previous year. The total was just 1,500 tonnes, or 0.1%, lower than in 2024, although it remained 11% below the level recorded in 2011.
Meanwhile, the household recycling rate fell from 44.3% in 2024 to 42.8% in 2025, continuing a prolonged period of relatively little progress.
The amount of household waste sent to landfill declined by a further 10.3% during 2025, extending a reduction of more than 84% since 2011. However, incineration of household waste increased by 5.7%, equivalent to an additional 49,000 tonnes.
The figures suggest that Scotland’s transition away from landfill has not been accompanied by an equivalent shift towards recycling and waste prevention, with incineration playing an increasingly important role in managing residual household waste.
Warnings issued in a 2022 review of Scotland’s incineration capacity have acquired renewed relevance in light of the latest figures. The independent review cautioned that building too much energy-from-waste infrastructure could undermine progress towards a circular economy, and suggested that Scotland could face incineration overcapacity from 2027 if all fully consented facilities were constructed.1
Untapped recycling potential
Research by Zero Waste Scotland has previously estimated that around 52% of the material placed in general household waste bins could potentially be recycled through existing kerbside collections.
That amounts to approximately 550,000 tonnes of potentially recyclable material, including food waste, paper, cardboard and plastics.
Dr Richard Allan, SEPA’s Chief Scientific Advisor, said the latest statistics highlighted both the achievements and shortcomings of Scotland’s approach to waste management.
“At the same time, however, the figures highlight an ongoing challenge. While landfill waste continues to fall and the amount of household waste we generate has decreased slightly, recycling rates have broadly stayed the same over the last eight years.
“This poses a serious question as to how Scotland can realise its circular economy ambitions. It’s clear that where waste ends up is important, but we need to focus on preventing waste in the first place and recycling more of that material when it is produced.”
Incineration’s growing role
The wider statistics, covering waste from all sources rather than households alone, show that 1.58 million tonnes were landfilled in Scotland during 2025, down 12.7% on the previous year and the lowest quantity recorded.
Much of the reduction was attributable to decreases in sorting residues, which fell by 216,000 tonnes, and construction wastes, down 15,000 tonnes.
Total waste incineration across all sources fell slightly, by 1.1%, to 1.84 million tonnes in 2025. Nevertheless, this was 363% higher than in 2011, reflecting a substantial long-term expansion in the use of incineration.
The contrasting annual trends also highlight the importance of distinguishing household waste from the wider waste stream: household incineration increased in 2025 even as the overall quantity incinerated declined.
The Scottish Government’s Circular Economy and Waste Route Map identifies several measures intended to increase recycling and divert recyclable materials from general waste, including a deposit return scheme, packaging extended producer responsibility and a forthcoming recycling Code of Practice.2
The latest figures suggest that improving the separation and recovery of recyclable materials, alongside preventing waste generation, remains a substantial challenge.
Further statistics covering waste generated and recycled by businesses, industry and the construction sector are expected in March 2027.
Notes
[1] Black bag blues: Does Scotland have enough incineration capacity?, Envirotec, September 2022.
[2] Scottish Government, Scotland’s Circular Economy and Waste Route Map to 2030, 18 December 2024.
