Scotland's recycling rate has fallen to its lowest level in five years, according to figures from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa). The Scottish government's environmental regulator says households recycled 42.8% of waste in 2025 - down from 44.3% the previous year. According to a roadmap set by the Scottish government in 2010, recycling rates should have hit 70% last year but are falling well short.
The share of waste processed at an incinerator remained broadly the same at 82% but the amount being diverted to landfill fell by 10%. Recycling rates vary massively by local authority. South Ayrshire's residents recycled 55% of their waste, compared to 26% in Glasgow.
The islands have the lowest rates, with Orkney recording a figure of just 18.2%. A total of 2.31 million tonnes of waste was created by households in 2025, which represents a fall of just 1,500 tonnes. Recycling rates have remained similar - at about 45% - for more than a decade.
The biggest change has been seen in the way black bag waste is treated. A rapid growth in the construction of energy-from-waste plants, which generate electricity by burning rubbish, has seen a shift away from landfill. But this has not happened quickly enough to meet a landfill ban which was due to come in at the start of the year.
It has now been effectively delayed to 2028. The figures do not reflect a disruption to Scotland's waste management by the long-term repairs being carried out to the incinerator at Polmadie in Glasgow. The Glasgow Recycling and Renewable Energy Centre in Glasgow was shut down in April this year, with much of the waste being diverted to other incinerators or landfill.
The centre is operated, along with a facility at Dunbar, by Viridor. Karen MacCormick from the company says waste incineration is a greener option than landfill because it can also generate electricity. She added: "When it's in landfill you've got the landfill gasses, you've got methane, etc.
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