Recycling increased in Europe

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EDINBURGH, Scotland, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- The Scottish government said more than 40 percent of the household waste generated from April to June was recycled or composted.

Scottish Environment Minister Richard Lochhead said households generated more than 719,000 tons of waste during the three-month reporting period and more than 313,000 tons of that was recycled or composted.

"It's an excellent achievement to reach nearly 44 percent nationwide and proof that the zero-waste agenda is gaining real momentum," he said in a statement.

The European Commission said most of the waste generated in the eurozone is either burned in incinerators or dumped into landfills. By 2020, countries in the European Union are expected to generate 45 more waste than they did in 1995. The European government said it identified waste prevention and management as a top priority for environmental action.

Scotland said its statistics were generated through a new system of record-keeping that excludes non-domestic properties. Without the revisions, the government said recycling for reporting period increased more than 39 percent.