Shetland has low recycling rate but high diversion from landfill
SHETLAND continues to have one of the lowest household recycling rates in Scotland – but the percentage of waste diverted from landfill is among the highest.
New figures from SEPA show that Shetland’s household recycling rate for 2025 was 19.6 per cent.
This places the isles among the lowest local authority areas in Scotland for recycling, with only Orkney (18.2 per cent) below.
However a spokesperson for Shetland Islands Council (SIC) said the percentage of waste diverted from landfall – 56.1 per cent – was among the highest in Scotland.
This is due to waste being incinerated in the Energy Recovery Plant, with excess heat going to the Lerwick district heating system. Waste from Orkney is also shipped up to Shetland for burning in the plant.
The SIC spokesperson said: “Recycling rates increased in Shetland when the kerbside recycling scheme was first introduced in 2018 to collect plastics, metal, paper and cardboard from households, which are all shipped south for processing at specialist facilities.
“In mid-2025, we extended our recycling schemes to collect more glass, batteries, electronics and plastics.”
The SEPA figures said 9,357 tonnes of household waste was generated in Shetland last year, with 1,835 tonnes of this recycled.
SEPA said across Scotland households recycled 42.8 per cent of waste in 2025, which was down slightly from 44.3 per cent the previous year.
However Scotland has cut the amount of household waste sent to landfill by more than 84 per cent since 2011.
A total of 2.31 million tonnes of waste was created by households in Scotland in 2025.
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