Glasgow Scottish National Party MSP Bob Doris is asking Glasgow City Council to ramp up its effort in the drive to becoming a zero waste city. Mr Doris raised the issue with Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Richard Lochhead MSP, in the Scottish Parliament (21 Jan) and he wants to encourage councils to share their best ideas and to help each other in achieving ambitious waste reduction targets.

Mr Doris said: "The Scottish Government is investing £80 million in the period 2008-2011 to help local authorities to meet their recycling commitments.

"There are commendable ideas and recycling initiatives taking place in Glasgow, but as the league table for recycling performance shows, being 32nd out of 32 local authorities, Glasgow still has some way to go.

"The Scottish Government has set stringent targets for waste to landfill reduction, with 40% of all waste to be recycled by the end of this year and 70 % by 2025 on the way to Scotland becoming a Zero waste country.

"Glasgow is still some way off contributing towards this aim at the moment but I welcome the Council’s intention to raise the recycling rate to 23% by the end of this year, and to accelerate that rate over the next few years.

"Neighbouring South Lanarkshire Council has a 37% recycling rate, placing it 7th out of 32 authorities. This is not a competition and there may be complex reasons as to why some local authorities are doing better than others. I will be asking Glasgow City Council and South Lanarkshire to liaise over best practice and I hope other councils will do likewise."