The target is an extension of the existing household waste recycling target of 25% by 2006, but the Scottish Executive explained that the 32 local authorities will have to meet both targets.
The announcement came today from Scotland's deputy environment minister Lewis Macdonald during a visit to newly upgraded recycling facilities in Aberdeen, part of Scotland's national recycling week, “Recycle for Scotland”.
He said: “Already, through funding received from our Strategic Waste fund, local authorities are working to meet our recycling and composting targets of 25% by 2006. However, this is only the start and there is still more to do. That is why we are now setting a further target, to recycle and compost 30% of municipal waste by 2008.”
Mr Macdonald also confirmed that Scotland's Strategic Waste Fund would continue to fund recycling service upgrades over the next three years, with a total of 350 million available for councils until 2008.
The amount available to Scottish councils over the next three years will be 111.53 million in 2005/06, 120.133 million in 2006/07 and 132.633 million in 2007/08.
Recycle for Scotland
National recycling week is running from October 18 to 25 across the UK, with the Scottish Waste Awareness Group is working with local authorities in Scotland to raise awareness about recycling through the “Recycle for Scotland” week.
Welcoming the announcement by the Scottish Executive, the national waste strategy operation support manager at SEPA, Joanna Muse, said: “At the start of a week focussing on raising public awareness of the advantages of reducing, reusing and recycling our waste, reinforcing our positive commitment to change is important.
“Through delivery of the Waste Aware Scotland campaign we are already seeing a change in behaviour in many areas across the country, and this is set to continue. SEPA is working closely with local authorities, business and the community to implement Scotland's Plan to tackle waste, and increasing public awareness will be crucial if we are to succeed.”
South of the border, the national recycling week is being run under the banner “The Big Recycle”, with about half of local authorities in England running activities promoting the recycling message.
Environment minister Elliot Morley commented: “We are at the cusp of a recycling revolution. We know what we can recycle, we know how we can recycle – now it is time to recycle that recycling awareness into recycling action.”
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