30th Jun 2010
Scotland Pioneer Zero Waste Plan
Scotland Debut – Zero Waste Plan
In June, Scotland become one of the first countries in the world to set out plans to become a "zero waste society", announcing a series of new initiatives and targets designed to ultimately reclassify waste as a valuable resource. (www.businessgreen.com)
The plan includes a range of new targets, including a commitment to ensure only five per cent of waste is sent to landfill by 2025 with 70 per cent of waste being recycled and the remaining 25 per cent reused or employed by waste-to-energy plants.
An additional target will aim to ensure that all waste with recycling or reuse potential is diverted from landfill by 2020.
A spokeswoman for the government said the targets would cover all waste, including commercial, construction and industrial.
"In the past the targets have only covered municipal waste, which is a relatively small part of the waste stream," she said, adding that the aim of the new plan was to create a wide-ranging framework that encourages businesses and households to treat waste as a valuable resource.
The new targets will not be enforced using fines, but the government signaled it would introduce a range of new regulations designed to boost recycling rates, including landfill bans on waste types such as glass, metal and timber.
It added that it would also roll out separate collections of certain waste types, including food waste, in order to increase recycling rates and limit the cross contamination of waste streams.
Speaking at the official launch of the zero waste plan in Edinburgh, Scottish environment secretary Richard Lochhead said that reducing waste levels would deliver huge economic and commercial benefits for the country.
"In recent years, the people of Scotland have made substantial progress in cutting waste but households, businesses and wider society still produces enough waste to fill an Olympic size swimming pool every 10 minutes," he said. " Viewing waste as a resource opens many doors; rather than carelessly discarding materials to landfill, we can create new products and generate renewable energy, heat and fertiliser while creating more than 2,000 jobs."
The new plan was accompanied by an immediate commitment from recycling and waste-to-energy specialist Viridor to invest up to £800m over the next five years to build new facilities in the country.
Colin Paterson, Viridor's Scottish regional director, hailed the new action plan as "rightly ambitious and visionary", but warned that the target will only be met if planning barriers to new waste infrastructure is overcome.
"We can't afford another two, three or four years of planning delays," he argued, adding that the government should now approve projects such as the company's proposed energy from waste plant in Dunbar.
If you would like any advice/assistance for planning/permits for your company or information/guidance on waste please do not hesitate to contact Albion on 01292610428 / info@albion-environmental.co.uk
Scotland Debut – Zero Waste Plan
In June, Scotland become one of the first countries in the world to set out plans to become a "zero waste society", announcing a series of new initiatives and targets designed to ultimately reclassify waste as a valuable resource. (www.businessgreen.com)
The plan includes a range of new targets, including a commitment to ensure only five per cent of waste is sent to landfill by 2025 with 70 per cent of waste being recycled and the remaining 25 per cent reused or employed by waste-to-energy plants.
An additional target will aim to ensure that all waste with recycling or reuse potential is diverted from landfill by 2020.
A spokeswoman for the government said the targets would cover all waste, including commercial, construction and industrial.
"In the past the targets have only covered municipal waste, which is a relatively small part of the waste stream," she said, adding that the aim of the new plan was to create a wide-ranging framework that encourages businesses and households to treat waste as a valuable resource.
The new targets will not be enforced using fines, but the government signaled it would introduce a range of new regulations designed to boost recycling rates, including landfill bans on waste types such as glass, metal and timber.
It added that it would also roll out separate collections of certain waste types, including food waste, in order to increase recycling rates and limit the cross contamination of waste streams.
Speaking at the official launch of the zero waste plan in Edinburgh, Scottish environment secretary Richard Lochhead said that reducing waste levels would deliver huge economic and commercial benefits for the country.
"In recent years, the people of Scotland have made substantial progress in cutting waste but households, businesses and wider society still produces enough waste to fill an Olympic size swimming pool every 10 minutes," he said. " Viewing waste as a resource opens many doors; rather than carelessly discarding materials to landfill, we can create new products and generate renewable energy, heat and fertiliser while creating more than 2,000 jobs."
The new plan was accompanied by an immediate commitment from recycling and waste-to-energy specialist Viridor to invest up to £800m over the next five years to build new facilities in the country.
Colin Paterson, Viridor's Scottish regional director, hailed the new action plan as "rightly ambitious and visionary", but warned that the target will only be met if planning barriers to new waste infrastructure is overcome.
"We can't afford another two, three or four years of planning delays," he argued, adding that the government should now approve projects such as the company's proposed energy from waste plant in Dunbar.
If you would like any advice/assistance for planning/permits for your company or information/guidance on waste please do not hesitate to contact Albion on 01292610428 / info@albion-environmental.co.uk
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