Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-02172

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government which energy from waste plants are monitoring their CO2 emissions.

Waste incinerators are required to monitor and report their carbon dioxide emissions as a ‘Part A process’ under the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2012.

The Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2012 require permitted sites to report specified pollutants, including carbon dioxide, which are then published in the Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI). The SPRI is available here: Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI)

Question reference: S6W-02274

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 7 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the costs of tackling littering in each local authority.

Question reference: S6W-02175

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many current incineration operators have indicated that they have set aside funds to offset the costs of decommissioning their sites should they go out of business.

Question reference: S6W-02160

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether Zero Waste Scotland had an impact target of Scotland achieving a household waste recycling rate of at least 60% by 2020, which was agreed by the Scottish Government in 2016.

Zero Waste Scotland does not have an impact target for achieving the 2020 household waste recycling target.

The 60% household waste recycling target is a Scotland wide target. Making progress towards all of our ambitious waste and recycling targets requires a collaborative effort between a range of stakeholders, including Scottish Government, local government, SEPA and Zero Waste Scotland, as well as businesses and the wider public across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-02272

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 6 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the response to question S5W-32957 by Roseanna Cunningham on 16 November 2020, whether it has since updated the research on the financial impact of littering.

Question reference: S6W-02177

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-01363 by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2021, whether it will provide a more precise date by which it will publish the route map for meeting its target to reduce car use.

Question reference: S6W-02171

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 6 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding introducing a tax on waste incineration services.

The Climate Change Plan sets out the Scottish Government’s commitment to develop a Routemap to meet our ambitious 2025 waste and recycling targets in a way that maximises carbon saving potential. The Scottish Government is working with partner organisations to develop the Routemap.

The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce a tax on waste incineration services. We will however consider the role of fiscal incentives, such as a waste tax, in the context of the planned Routemap and the Climate Change Plan

We have also committed to review the role incineration plays in Scotland’s waste hierarchy, taking account of all available evidence. An update will be provided to Parliament this month regarding the plans for this.

Question reference: S6W-02169

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 1 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding using Scottish Landfill Tax to incentivise biostabilisation of waste.

The Climate Change Plan sets out the Scottish Government’s commitment to develop a Routemap to meet our ambitious 2025 waste and recycling targets in a way that maximises carbon saving potential.

The Scottish Government is working with partner organisations to develop the Routemap, and consider the role that Scottish Landfill Tax and all other potential measures could play in ensuring that we meet the targets and support Scotland’s journey to net zero in the period to 2030.

On the specific issue of biostabilisation, Zero Waste Scotland has commissioned a study to better understand the potential for this as a municipal residual waste treatment process in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-02164

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 31 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00122 by Michael Matheson on 3 June 2021, whether the review will have the option to recommend a moratorium on new incinerator construction should it consider such a recommendation is warranted.

The Scottish Government is committed to review the role that incineration plays in Scotland’s waste hierarchy, and are considering options to take forward this review. Parliament will be updated on plans for this in September, when we will outline the scope, timeline and processes for conducting the review.

The review will consider all options within the agreed scope and we will carefully consider all recommendations arising from the review.

The Scottish Government is committed to review the role that incineration plays in Scotland’s waste hierarchy, and are considering options to take forward this review. Parliament will be updated on plans for this in September, when we will outline the scope, timeline and processes for conducting the review.

The review will consider all options within the agreed scope and we will carefully consider all recommendations arising from the review.

Question reference: S6W-02167

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 31 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how long the forthcoming review of the role of incineration is anticipated to last, and what the estimated timeframe is for it to publish its findings.

Chamber and committees