An official report has laid bare the amount of new infrastructure needed to reprocess many waste streams in Scotland.
Published by the Scottish Government, the study found that “the majority” of plastic, metal and paper refuse was managed by export.
Waste Reprocessing Infrastructure in Scotland said there were 169 licensed reprocessing facilities north of the border handling domestic waste, with another 14 in the pipeline.
Yet the report calculated that 86 per cent of the country’s plastic recycling took place elsewhere in 2023.
A similar proportion of its aluminium reprocessing was exported, while more than nine-tenths of the recycling of Scottish steel happened beyond its borders.
The picture was even starker for paper and card, with 96 per cent of reprocessing occurring in facilities outside Scotland.
However, three-quarters of glass recycling by tonnage was handled domestically.
“High energy costs, market volatility, competition from imported virgin material and insecure access to material inputs are identified as common barriers for domestic investment,” said the report. “More can be done to support the sector.”
