Scotland was the first nation in the United Kingdom to introduce a ban on sending biodegradable municipal waste to landfill, and 29 local authorities have arrangements in place to comply with the ban, which comes into force on 31 December 2025.

Zero Waste Scotland continues to provide support to local authorities without arrangements to ensure that they are able to meet the requirement on 31 December 2025, and it will publish an updated analysis of residual waste management capacity in Scotland in mid-October.

UK statistics on waste that were published on 28 September show a decrease of 53 per cent of biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill in Scotland since 2010, in part reflecting the preparations for the forthcoming ban.