Question reference: S6W-08525
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 12 May 2022
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Current status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 24 May 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of which countries have received Scottish waste exports, and how much each received, in each of the last three years.
Answer
That information is not held centrally. This data can be obtained from SEPA.
We are committed to ensuring Scotland takes more responsibility for its own waste, maximising its value and reducing the environmental and carbon impact. A large majority of Scotland’s waste is already managed within Scotland, but around 14% is currently processed elsewhere.
International waste export legislation is a reserved matter, and we are calling for further action from the UK Government to deliver existing commitments and bring forward measures to influence global markets and reduce imported and exported emissions. This includes making progress on the Committee on Climate Change’s recommendation to “phase out” exports of waste by 2030, which would support Scotland’s transition to a fully circular economy.