Experts are calling on the people of Scotland to consider, and reduce, the variety of their household waste – after a report, published by Zero Waste Scotland, showed textiles, which made up just 4 per cent of waste by weight, accounted for 32 per cent of Scotland’s carbon impact. Householders should pay more attention to what they waste.
The top five most carbon intensive materials wasted in Scotland, including paper, cardboard, plastic, textile, metal, animal and food waste, accounted for only 46 per cent of all household waste tonnage in 2020 but made up for 83 per cent of the carbon impacts. Zero Waste Scotland’s latest Carbon Metric report has broken down the types of household waste, ultimately showing that not all waste is equal.
The Scottish Carbon Metric report is a ground-breaking tool developed by Zero Waste Scotland, in collaboration with the Scottish government that goes beyond the traditional method of measuring the impact of waste by weight. Analysing the carbon impact of waste allows for a more accurate view of how everything we use in our daily lives contributes to Scotland’s carbon footprint, Zero Waste Scotland said in a press release.
The report measures the whole-life carbon impacts of Scotland’s waste, from resource extraction and manufacturing emissions, right through to waste management emissions, regardless of where in the world these impacts occur.
“The first year of the pandemic saw us all having to change our way of living almost overnight – this included working from home to a rise in online shopping, which of course resulted in a spike in household waste. This has contributed to an increase in our own individual carbon footprint. Every person in Scotland is responsible for 18.4 tonnes of materials every year and it is these products and materials which make up around 80 per cent of Scotland’s carbon footprint,” Iain Gulland, chief executive of Zero Waste Scotland, said.
Zero Waste Scotland experts believe that moving to impact-based measurements and targets will help Scotland, and countries around the world, more effectively combat climate change.
Shopping smarter and wasting less will help to reduce the country’s carbon footprint and slow climate breakdown. It is essential to switch from a ‘make, use, dispose’ culture, referred to as the linear economy, to a more circular economy where the value of products and materials is maximised to make them last as long as possible.
“I commend the brilliant efforts by households to reuse and recycle, when possible, but Zero Waste Scotland believes the solution lies in the step before this. If we are serious about ending our contribution to the climate crisis we must live within our means and reduce our consumption in the first place – there is no time to waste,” Gulland added.
"Every material that is wasted comes at a cost to our planet, but it’s clear that textiles are having a disproportionate impact. That’s why we are establishing an innovation fund to support initiatives that could help Scotland tackle textile pollution and throw-away culture,” Circular economy minister Lorna Slater said.
“We want Scotland to have an economy where materials remain in use for as long as possible. This won’t just reduce Scotland's carbon footprint, it will also provide economic opportunities in re-use and remanufacturing. To help deliver this agenda, I am currently preparing plans for an ambitious Circular Economy Bill that will be published for consultation in due course,” Slater explained.
Source: Fibre2Fashion News Desk
