Waste diverted from landfill in Scotland through incineration with energy recovery increased by 14.7% in 2017, compared to 2016.
Official figures released by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said over 760,000 tonnes of waste was diverted thanks to Energy from Waste (EfW) or energy recovery in 2017, following a longer-term trend with 182.6% more waste recovered since 2011.
Despite the total quality of waste generated increasing by 5.5%, Scotland’s recycling rate fell slightly by 0.2 percentage points to 58.9% in 2017.
Organic waste recycled by composting or anaerobic digestion increased by 4.6%, again echoing a trend which has seen almost 158,000 tonnes more being recycled than in 2011.
The quantity of biodegradable municipal waste being sent to landfill continues to fall, with 1.09m tonnes to going to landfill in 2017.
Terrey A’Hearn, SEPA’s chief executive, said: “The scale of the environmental challenge is enormous and we know that in Scotland we currently use the resources of three planets, but only have one.
“The most successful countries in the 21st century will be resource efficient, circular economies, where what once was waste is valued as a resource. As such, the latest figures give communities and businesses a fresh focus for the opportunity ahead.”