Environmental Requirements Scotland (ESS) has reached settlement with the Scottish Authorities on a collection of actions that may convey readability over Scotland’s future incineration capability wants and make sure that consideration is given to them when figuring out functions for rising incineration capability in Scotland.
The environmental governance physique stated these actions will assist make sure that Scotland doesn’t develop into overly reliant on incineration as a method of waste administration, recognized within the business as, ‘incineration lock-in.’
Whereas incineration is taken into account to have a decrease local weather affect than landfill, there’s a concern that unregulated progress of the business poses a threat to public well being, threatens to undermine preferable waste administration choices akin to recycling, and will hamper Scotland’s web zero ambitions.
Greater than 1.86 million tonnes of waste1 was burned in Scotland in 2024, a rise of 354% from 2011. The shift in direction of elevated incineration has resulted within the development of recent incineration amenities. As of 2024, 18 permitted incineration websites had been working in Scotland.2 As well as, the accessible capability at an current facility has additionally elevated. For instance, in 2023, the waste facility in Dunbar expanded its capability by 65,000 tonnes.
ESS undertook an investigation following issues raised that the Scottish Authorities had didn’t implement a key advice from a 2022 unbiased overview of incineration.3 This advice involved the event of an indicative residual waste administration cap meant to stop long-term incineration overcapacity and assist Scotland’s transition to a round economic system. Though the Scottish Authorities accepted this advice on the time,4 it was by no means carried out.
Issues had additionally been raised to ESS that the Scottish Authorities had failed to manage incineration capability successfully.
A brand new report printed on 9 December by ESS, “The effectiveness of the Scottish Authorities’s Implementation and Utility of Environmental Legislation in relation to Incineration Capability in Scotland”, outlines the measures the Scottish Authorities has agreed to implement in response to the issues raised by ESS’ investigation.
These measures embrace commitments to:
- publish an up to date forecast of incineration capability in Scotland
- develop an indicative residual waste therapy cap by way of the forthcoming Residual Waste Plan (due in 2027)
- combine the nationwide indicative cap into the Scottish Atmosphere Safety Company’s allowing framework, guaranteeing that nationwide capability is taken into account when assessing all environmental authorisation functions for capability modifications.
Mark Roberts, Chief Govt of ESS, stated: “Whereas well-regulated incineration has a job in managing unavoidable residual waste, we should stop the potential hurt brought about from over-reliance on this technique of waste administration.
“The Scottish Authorities’s dedication to develop an indicative cap and guaranteeing that is mirrored in SEPA’s allowing laws, will present a strategic benchmark for resolution making, reinforce the aims of the waste hierarchy and forestall overcapacity that would undermine wider recycling and waste discount efforts.
“We’ll proceed to observe the implementation of the brand new measures and supply updates to the general public on progress.”
Notes
[1] Waste Incinerated in Scotland 2024
[2] ibid
[3] Scottish Authorities Response to: Cease, Type, Burn, Bury? The Impartial Evaluation of the Function of Incineration within the Waste Hierarchy in Scotland
[4] ibid
