A campaign has begun in Scotland to raise awareness of a requirement for Scottish businesses to recycle from 1 January 2014.
Under the Waste (Scotland) Regulations, all organisations will have to recycle their plastic, metal, glass, paper and card or risk a fine. Most businesses will also need to recycle food waste.
Any food business that produces over 50kg of food waste per week must present it for separate collection from 1 January 2014.
From 2016, this will apply to any business that produces more than 5kg of food waste per week.
However, rural businesses are exempt from this food waste requirement.
Estimates from Zero Waste Scotland suggests that Scotland is paying £95 million in landfill taxes to throw away key recyclable items that have a value of £97 million.
Zero Waste Scotland director Iain Gulland said: “It’s great to see that businesses are already working to become ready for introduction of the regulations.
“The regulations are designed to enable organisations to further reduce waste, enable the recycling of quality materials, and be more resource efficient – all offering the potential for cost savings and wider economic opportunities.
“We have a range of support available to help over the coming months and would ask those needing help to get in touch.”
More information is available at www.resourceefficientscotland.com
