Recycling firms in Scotland are set to benefit from a revolutionary new collection system that is being implemented across the region.
From 2013, recycling strategy in Scotland will be focused on materials that are considered to have a "high carbon impact" – specifically food waste, textiles and plastics, the Guardian reports.
Local councils and householders will be pushed to recycle far more of these materials with targets based on the carbon impact of the materials that are re-used, instead of their weight.
Government agency Zero Waste Scotland has hailed the initiative as a "world first".
The group's director Iain Gulland is proud of the fact that Scotland is taking the lead on this issue.
"It's all about climate change. It's not just tonnes and the cost of travel from A to B, it's the environmental impact," he told the publication.
This follows news that London mayor Boris Johnson has set aside £70 million pounds to dramatically improve the capital's recycling facilities.
Typical Guttridge equipment used in the waste recycling industry includes:
