Technical Information: Resources: We use and re-use resources wisely and have ended the throw-away culture
Last updated: 17 January 2025
Total waste generated
Indicator Updated: 28 March 2023
| Year | Total Waste | Household | Commercial and industrial | Construction and demolition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 11.96 | 2.61 | 4.16 | 5.20 |
| 2012 | 10.06 | 2.50 | 3.76 | 3.80 |
| 2013 | 11.06 | 2.41 | 3.86 | 4.79 |
| 2014 | 10.00 | 2.46 | 3.37 | 4.17 |
| 2015 | 11.28 | 2.47 | 3.71 | 5.09 |
| 2016 | 10.68 | 2.50 | 3.15 | 5.03 |
| 2017 | 11.45 | 2.46 | 3.40 | 5.59 |
| 2018 | 11.45 | 2.41 | 3.24 | 5.81 |
| 2019 | NA | 2.42 | NA | NA |
| 2020 | NA | 2.43 | NA | NA |
| 2021 | 9.58 | 2.48 | 3.09 | 4.01 |
This indicator reports the annual amount of waste, in millions of tonnes, generated in Scotland from all sources: household, commercial, industrial and construction and demolition.
For waste generated from all sources, there is a target of a 15% reduction from 2011 levels by 2025, derived from ‘Making Things Last: a circular economy strategy for Scotland’.
Source: SEPA
Update Frequency: Annual
Further Information: The National Performance Framework indicator for waste generated uses the figures for household waste only. Information is available on the National Performance Framework website.
Please note that only figures for household waste are available for 2019 and 2020. Figures for commercial and industrial, and construction and demolition cannot be produced for 2019 and 2020 due to the cyber-attack on SEPA in December 2020. Since the cyber-attack, various tools have been completely re-built to administer, aggregate, analyse, and check waste data returns, which have been received at slightly lower rates in 2021 than previously. Furthermore, during 2021, many areas of the Scottish economy and waste management continued to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. With so many changes due to COVID-19, and the impact of the cyber-attack, this was clearly an atypical year and SEPA have indicated that care should be taken when comparing this snapshot of 2021 with longer term trends.
Carbon footprint of Scotland’s waste
Indicator Updated: 04 November 2021
| Year | Carbon footprint of waste (million tonnes of CO2 equivalent) |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 15.20 |
| 2012 | 13.04 |
| 2013 | 12.36 |
| 2014 | 11.66 |
| 2015 | 11.09 |
| 2016 | 11.02 |
| 2017 | 11.93 |
| 2018 | 10.58 |
This indicator reports the annual worldwide Greenhouse Gas emissions associated with Scotland’s waste expressed in millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e).
Source: Zero Waste Scotland.
Update Frequency: Annual
Further Information: Carbon footprint of Scotland’s waste indicator information is available from Zero Waste Scotland.
Scotland’s material footprint
Indicator Updated: 11 January 2024
| Year | Scotland’s material footprint per capita (tonnes) |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 20.2 |
| 2012 | 22.6 |
| 2013 | 12.5 |
| 2014 | 16.7 |
| 2015 | 16.9 |
| 2016 | 23.7 |
| 2017 | 18.4 |
| 2018 | 19.3 |
This indicator reports the total quantity of raw materials worldwide used to produce the goods and services we consume in Scotland. It identifies the volume and types of materials being extracted in Scotland, imported into Scotland and exported from Scotland.
There are three main flows of materials through Scotland’s economy:
Domestically extracted materials: natural resources, like oil and gas, wood, and crops, that we extract or produce right here in Scotland
Imports: raw materials and products that we import from abroad, from steel to laptops to fruit and veg
Exports: raw materials and products that we ship overseas, from oil and gas to whisky and clothes
Source: Zero Waste Scotland
Update Frequency: Annual
Further Information: Scotland’s material footprint indicator information is available from Zero Waste Scotland.