69% of Scots want urgent investment in local authority recycling

69% of Scots believe the Scottish Government “must urgently” invest in local authority recycling.

The survey, commissioned by Alupro, also found 61% of Scots believe the Scottish Government should implement a deposit return scheme (DRS) by 2027 at the latest.

Alupro said the call for action comes amidst ongoing concerns about waste and recycling performance in Scotland.

According to official government statistics released last year, Scotland’s household waste recycling rate was 43.5% in 2023.

Wales has the highest recycling rate for household waste of all UK nations. Annual statistics released by the Welsh Government showed Wales achieved a 64.6% household recycling rate in 2023-24.

Between April and June 2024, Northern Ireland recorded a 54.5% recycling rate for household waste.

The latest statistics released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) showed England’s household recycling rate was 43.4% in 2022.

This poll shows how deeply voters in Scotland care about the environment and what happens to the waste they produce.

Alupro said Survation conducted the survey between 7 and 13 January 2025 via a representative sample of 1,024 Scots aged 16 and over.

Commenting on the survey, Tom Giddings, Executive Director at Alupro, said: “This poll shows how deeply voters in Scotland care about the environment and what happens to the waste they produce.

“As an industry we are clear that higher recycling rates are good for people and planet. Delivering consistent local authority kerbside collections is key to ensuring all recyclable packaging is collected for recycling.

“Scotland’s DRS will be at the heart of a recycling revolution too. Now more than ever before, it is clear the people of Scotland deserve the successful implementation of a deposit return scheme by 2027 at the latest.”