The drop leaves performance well short of a 2010 Scottish government roadmap target that recycling rates should have reached 70% last year. Recycling rates have remained stagnant at about 45% for more than a decade. Truckloads of Scotland's rubbish will be sent to England, officials stated. Recycling rates vary massively by local authority across the country, with islands recording the lowest rates as Orkney reached a figure of just 18.2%.
A total of 2.31 million tonnes of household waste was created in 2025, representing a fall of just 1,500 tonnes. The share of waste processed at an incinerator remained broadly the same at 82%, while the amount diverted to landfill fell by 10%.
A deposit return scheme for bottles and cans, which has seen recycling rates increase significantly in other countries, was repeatedly delayed. Experts have also suggested that the lack of consistency in what is collected by local authorities across the country makes it confusing for households.
Karen MacCormick from the company defended the processing methods, stating that waste incineration is a greener option than landfill because it can also generate electricity.
Scottish households recycled 42.8% of their waste in 2025, marking a decline from 44.3% the previous year according to figures released by the environmental regulator Sepa.