According to Friends of the Earth, Scotland is at the very bottom of the European league table on domestic recycling. Brian Baker takes a look at what is going wrong, and how it can be put right

Although it has a radical new national waste strategy, and the landfill tax has really started to bite, Scotland has a poor record on household waste recycling. Languishing at the bottom of the European league table on domestic recycling, just 5.7 per cent of household waste was recycled in Scotland last year - a shockingly low figure when compared to Switzerland, which leads the table with an impressive 52 per cent. Of course Scotland isn't alone at the bottom, and England and Wales are only fractionally better at 8 per cent, but Scotland's failings have also been picked out by the report of the Accounts Commission, which described the situation as "disappointing" and is hoping for a dramatic upturn.

The Accounts Commission's performance report on the environment, covering six local government measurable responsibilities, reveals failings which are in sharp contrast to improvements in the other categories. Food hygiene inspection rates, for example, improved generally in 1998/1999, with over 90 per cent of high risk premises within target. By contrast, none of the 32 councils are anywhere near the UK government level targets set for recycling rates and nearly half show a declining trend.
Accounts Commission head of local government studies, Lesley Bloomer, told EHJ: "The picture across Scotland is disappointing."
She points to variations among both urban and rural authorities. "There is scope for the councils which recycle less to look at the better performers and learn from them."
Most of the top performers are in rural areas - though in the cities, Dundee recycled 8 per cent in 1998/99, double the rate of Edinburgh and four times that of Glasgow.

Rural authorities like Argyll and Bute, and Scottish Borders, have drawn extensively on community and environmental groups in successful, usually local, initiatives and Edinburgh has now learnt from this.
Edinburgh City Council has contracted out recycling activities to the Lothian and Edinburgh Environmental Partnership (LEEP), which is charged with expanding education and collection activities and is addressing business waste as well as that generated by householders.

LEEP has now set up Edinburgh Recycling to increase awareness and services. It has already expanded into cans from paper and glass at the 48 recycling bin sites. Beyond the city boundaries, it is running kerbside paper collections in several areas of East Lothian under the branding "Return".
With several authorities embarking this year on PFI procedures for waste disposal services, there may be energy from waste proposals coming forward. So far, only Dundee has opted for the heavy recovery approach and, significantly, this is a city which has put recycling arrangements and facilities in place first.
Incineration is not popular, however, nor are any new landfill sites. Both in the Highlands and in Dumfries and Galloway, there are currently very active public campaigns against proposals for energy from waste and landfill facilities.

The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency has highlighted the importance of waste planning areas, formed by geographical groups of local authorities, in its strategy.
This co-operation may be extended into the funding and procurement of facilities needed for materials sorting. Storage is important too, especially if the transport element of sustainability is given full measure and opportunities for rail movements are to be developed. But with markets for recyclables often weak, finance is vital too. Scottish Borders waste management and recycling manager George Cairns says: "We need grants, not consent to borrow capital - logically money back from the landfill tax."
The Scottish Parliament is getting to grips with waste policy and four MSPs recently visited Scottish Border Council's recycling centre in Galashiels, where paper is baled and glass is stored.

Argyll and Bute Council head of amenity services, Andy Law, says: "We've been supporting community and environmental groups since the landfill tax was set up.
"We try to focus on local solutions because of our geographical diversity. In Helensburgh, for example, there is a weekly kerbside collection of textiles, plastics and paper,."
Currently diverting 8,000 tonnes a year from landfill, the small rural authority is set to support the voluntary sector to the extent of £125,000 in tax credits in 2000/01.
They are one of those involved in PFI tendering. Andy Law told EHJ that "each of the landfill directive targets is built into the output specification for the contract".
It is probable that during the span of any contract, progress with composting initiatives in Argyll and Bute will lead to the transition to a commercial product. Timber waste activity is another area which is expected to evolve. Meanwhile, kerbside collections of dry recyclables are in store.
"Markets in Scotland are not great for recyclables," says Andy Law. "We need to look at markets for end products."

One of the largest authorities, South Lanarkshire, has begun a widespread consultation on its waste strategy and is discussing joint initiative options with neighbouring councils. "The waste plan area envisaged in the national strategy gives us the start we need for joint schemes," says Kenny Boag, their environmental policy manager. An energy from waste plant is a possibility. But Mr Boag says sharing with surrounding areas is also the way to go to establish facilities for sorting waste materials.
"Recycling will remain our largest contribution in the short-term to meeting landfill directive and government targets," he says. The 1998/1999 figure for South Lanarkshire was 4.4 per cent. "I confidently expect that to increase in 1999/2000," says Kenny Boag. "We have resited collection centres and there are clear indications that our composting contribution has gone up."
But, he warns: "There is a need for a complete redesign of the waste disposal and collection structure and that will take time. Significant developments will be needed before national targets can be reached."
Scottish Borders have been consistently in double figures ever since reorganisation. "We recycle predominantly paper and card, which is collected from households in the urban areas," says George Cairns.
"We send 60,000 tons to landfill a year, including material we collect commercially and we are now concluding consultation with the private sector on the potential resolution of the disposal problem," he says.

The authority is examining different types of MRF with a view to building a facility next year.
Weak markets for recyclables and lack of finance for both education and services are part of the reason for the low rates in Scotland. Mid Lothian Council corporate policy officer Petra Biberbach thinks local government is sometimes unfairly criticised about it.
She told EHJ: "There is a real dilemma. We cannot have things on the cheap. The figures are a real indictment of the UK Government and not of the local authorities.
"The SEPA national waste strategy and the EU directives can only help, but it comes down to strapped for cash local authorities and the low level of awareness of the issues among the population," says Ms Biberbach.

She points to other factors too: "The low density of population in Scotland is also a problem, as sites for landfill were always available before the tax and new policies were introduced."
Petra Biberbach believes the performance figures reflect low levels of resources available to local authorities. Unless this changes, new income streams will be vital. Charging for collecting and disposing of commercial wastes is relatively recent in parts of Scotland. This may be an opportunity.
The Accounts Commission is about to publish a value for money study into refuse collection services, which should illuminate some of the cost factors in the recycling equation.

Lesley Bloomer says: "As all 32 councils use DLOs to handle industrial and commercial wastes, we will be looking at charges in the document."
Waste minimisation will be more clearly exposed from next year, when councils will be required to provide full break-downs of all waste collection and disposal. However, it looks like an uphill struggle, and with its UK neighbours not doing much to lead the way either - the Swiss example is still a long way off.

For specialist information on waste, readers may be interested in the WHO environmental health pamphlets on waste. There are seven titles: Solid Waste and Health, Waste Minimisation, Waste Collection, Landfill, Hazardous Waste, Waste Incineration, Health Care Waste. These cost £7.60 each, incl p+p, and are available from the CIEH on 020 7827 5882.