5. To ask the Scottish Government how it is encouraging people to engage in recycling and other activities to help protect Scotland’s environment. (S5O-04653)

We want to ensure that, when it comes to recycling, the right choices are the easy choices for businesses and households. Our recent programme for government committed to a £70 million recycling fund to improve local authority collection infrastructure, as well as a review of the household recycling charter and code of practice.

The national managing our waste campaign provides guidance for households on how to manage waste, recycle and access local waste services during the Covid-19 pandemic. It also encourages use of reusable face coverings and appropriate disposal of single-use face coverings and gloves.

I thank the Cabinet secretary for that answer, especially what she said about face coverings, which are becoming a real problem.

I was delighted to note that last week was recycle week 2020. What dialogue is the Scottish Government having with local authorities and other stakeholders to ensure that we continue to promote such activities, as we navigate through lockdown?

We continue, of course, to engage regularly with a wide range of stakeholders from throughout the waste sector, through the waste and resources sector forum. It comprises key partners including Zero Waste Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, local authorities and commercial bodies.

I am grateful to the people who have worked very hard to keep waste and recycling services going in communities right across Scotland, particularly over the past year.

The national managing our waste campaign, which we developed with our partners and launched in late April, will continue to provide guidance for households on how to manage waste, recycle and access local waste services during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Can the Cabinet secretary say how many tonnes of waste are shipped out of Scotland every minute?

As Maurice Golden is, very likely, aware, the answer to that is no. I do not have a minute-by-minute assessment of the waste that is exported from Scotland, any more than anyone else will have a minute-by-minute assessment of any other export from Scotland.

However, I can tell Maurice Golden that we are making a great deal of progress on recycling, on which we are doing an enormous amount of work. As he knows, we have plans to go a lot further. I have already outlined the programme for government commitment of £70 million to the recycling fund. We have long-term initiatives to tackle the throwaway culture and to reduce the global amount of waste that is created, wherever it ends up.

I hope that Mr Golden will continue to support those initiatives in the future.

It is clear that the public strongly back waste recycling, but they do not back waste incineration. When it gave evidence to the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee last week, Zero Waste Scotland warned of a

“future that is based on incineration.”—[

Official Report, Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee

, 22 September 2020; c 27.]

What is the Government doing to restrict burning of rubbish?

Again, I must say that we are making very strong progress, as I said to Maurice Golden. Between 2017 and 2018, the carbon impact of our waste dropped by 11 per cent. I have also mentioned the PFG commitment.

Waste incineration is strictly regulated in line with European Union standards. Under the regulations, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency operates a very rigorous permitting system for energy-from-waste operators. We are preparing for the ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste that will be in place by 2025, in line with the Committee on Climate Change’s recommendations, but we will still need capacity to dispose of residual waste while we make the transition to a circular economy. That is the reason for the increase in energy-from-waste capacity.