The Scottish Parliament

Question reference: S7W-02902

Asked by: Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, MSP for Edinburgh Northern, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 16 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has identified any illegal waste sites in Scotland containing more than 20,000 tonnes of waste, comparable to the "super sites" recently identified in England, and, if so, how many such sites are known to SEPA.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has provided data on the number of illegal waste sites containing more than 20,000 tonnes in Scotland and this is set out in the following table. The data provided is based on the investigation progress as of 7September 2026.

SEPA seeks to disrupt identified illegal activity as quickly as possible using an interventions approach to minimise the occurrence of ‘super sites’ as far as possible.

Further Information is available from SEPA.

Illegal waste sites identified with an excess of 20,000 tonnes of waste^[1]evidenced

Site Location (SEPA Geographic Locations)	Number of known Sites
Argyll, Hebrides and South Highlands	n/a
Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders	n/a
Fife, Angus and Dundee	n/a
Falkirk, Alloa, Stirling and Perth	n/a
Grampian & Speyside	n/a
Greater Glasgow and Clyde Estuary	n/a
Lanarkshire	1ⁱ
North Highland and Northern Isles	n/a

^[1]Waste remains in-situ with investigation ongoing. Tonnage not yet determined as deposits are above and below ground.

It should be noted that where SEPA investigations are still active, the tonnage may not yet be fully determined or it may be part of the evidence. As such, any data released into the public domain could compromise the investigation, influence witness statements, affect future court proceedings or impact the privacy of those involved. The data provided is set out to protect detection and investigative processes.

Throughout an investigation the calculated tonnage on site may increase or decrease, e.g. it may be determined that the illegal deposit initially identified as being above ground extends below ground level upon further investigation, resulting in an increase in tonnage. The actual tonnage of waste on a site can only be fully known once the waste has been removed and Waste Transfer Notes / Special Waste Consignment Notes / Invoices provide the definitive weight.

Question reference: S7W-02905

Asked by: Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, MSP for Edinburgh Northern, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 16 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much money has been recovered from individuals and organisations involved in illegal waste operations in each of the last five years.

SEPA has provided the following information on Fixed Monetary Penalties (FMPs) and Variable Monetary Penalties (VMPs) paid in relation to waste related activities under relevant legislation. The value of penalties paid in each of the last five financial years is set out in Table 3 in below.

Monetary Penalties paid 3[AD1]

	FY2021-22	FY2022-23	FY2023-24	FY2024-25	FY2025-26
FMPs Paid	£3,000	£4,959	£7,046	£3,540	£9,100
VMPs Paid	-	-	£8,010	-	£8,385
Total	£3,000	£4,959	£15,056	£3,540	£17,485

3 Any monies paid to SEPA in response to issued monetary penalties are transferred to the Scottish Consolidated Fund. SEPA do not receive Court Fine payments or Proceeds of Crime Confiscations.

In addition, where penalties remain outstanding, debt recovery action is initiated or repayment plans agreed. All outstanding unpaid Penalties have been referred to debt collection as of 7 September 2026.

The current cumulative value of outstanding penalties subject to recovery action or repayment arrangements is £66,003.67 for VMPs and £20,180 for FMPs.

These figures relate to the issuance of any FMP or VMP by SEPA for offences under Control of Pollution Act 1989, Environmental Protection Act 1990, Environment Act 1995, and Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018. These figures do not include fines imposed by the Courts or confiscations through Proceeds of Crime for criminal proceedings in relation to illegal waste offences.