15 Apr 2010 01:04:09

Scotland launches zero waste campaign

The Scottish government has launched a new campaign encouraging households to recycle more of their waste.

Its new report into recycling rates in Scotland has shown that 67 percent of newspapers and magazines and 60 percent of glass is being reused.

However, Scottish households are still throwing around 260 kilograms of recyclable waste away each year.

The Zero Waste campaign will aim to tackle this by educating consumers about the materials they can recycle and where.

It will feature television, radio and outdoor advertisements, as well as a nationwide road show featuring the campaign's mascot - a ten-foot tall blue elephant.

Scottish environment secretary Richard Lochhead said: "We should all constantly challenge ourselves to recycle more items, more often.

"Most waste sent to landfill should be viewed as a resource and put to good use," he remarked.

The Zero Waste report shows that overall recycling rates in Scotland have increased from five percent of household waste ten years ago to almost 36 percent today.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2010/04/14092840