Scotland's councils will have to recycle 25% of municipal waste by 2006, according to Environment Minister Ross Finnie.

Mr Finnie said local authorities will have to recycle four times the present amount of domestic waste to meet the target for the next four years.

He said councils could meet the target with money from the �170m allocated to waste management under the Scottish Executive's comprehensive spending review.

The review was announced on Thursday by finance minister Andy Kerr.

Scotland's recycling record is poor

Opening a debate on the spending review Mr Finnie said: "Our key target is to achieve 25% recycling and composting of municipal waste by 2006 as a stage on the road to sustainable waste management.

"This will allow us to make a step change in the way we deal with Scotland's waste, reducing local authorities chronic over-reliance on landfill, bearing down on waste production and developing recycling."

Scottish National Party environment spokesman Bruce Crawford demanded to know how the cash would be spent to lift Scotland from the bottom of the European league table on recycling.

He said: "Ross Finnie has told us what he intends to do with waste but what he has not told us is that the water budget is to be slashed by �190m over the three years of the new spending plans."

He added: "Is it not a disgrace that in the 21st century the quality of Scotland's water still comes nowhere near that of England.