EACH person in Dumfries and Galloway generated nearly half a tonne of waste last year.
Figures for 2023 have been released and show that there was 63,110 tonnes of waste overall in the region, equivalent to 0.43 tonnes per person.
And it means that the carbon impact of each resident locally was 1.031 TCo2e – the same as driving a petrol car for 5000 miles, taking 72 high-speed train trips of 300 miles each or 2.6 round-trip flights between New York and Miami.
Meanwhile, the data from SEPA also revealed that less rubbish was recycled in Dumfries and Galloway last year.
In total, 26,000 tonnes was recycled, or 41.2 per cent of all waste.
However, in 2022 the recycling rate was 45.1 per cent.
Overall 5385 went to landfill in this area and 31,724 was diverted and dealt with by other means, including incineration.
The Scottish Household Waste Statistics 2023 also give the national picture and revealed a drop in the total amount of household waste generated nationally and a slight rise in the household recycling rate, with less also going to landfill
Commenting, Jo Zwitserlood, from SEPA, said: “We’re making positive steps towards lowering the carbon impact of Scotland’s household waste and seeing lower amounts of waste generated and disposed of to landfill, which is key to addressing the environmental impact of waste management.”
