Question reference: S6W-09312
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Date lodged: 24 June 2022
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Current status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 21 July 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, when the 2025 landfill ban comes into force in Scotland, whether residual waste will be exported to England to meet the capacity gap identified in the independent review of the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy and, if this is the case, whether it has identified which facilities in England this waste will go to, and, if it has, whether it will provide details of (a) the facilities involved and (b) how they will manage the exported waste.
Answer
The recent independent review of the role of incineration found that while there may be temporary under-capacity of residual waste treatment in Scotland in 2025, when the ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste comes into force, there is a risk of long-term overcapacity beginning from 2026 or 2027, if all or most of the incineration capacity in the pipeline is built.
The review noted that export is one of the short-term options for the treatment of residual waste in order to bridge the expected capacity gap. However, we will continue to work closely with local authorities and commercial operators to support those that do not currently have solutions to treat their residual waste ahead of the forthcoming ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste in 2025, taking account of the recommendations of the independent review and ongoing assessment of residual waste requirements and available capacity.