Albion Environmental’s Chairman Alasdair Meldrum appeared on BBC Radio Scotland to discuss the growing concerns surrounding landfill capacity in Scotland and the challenges currently facing the waste and resources sector.
Speaking on the programme, Alasdair highlighted the significant reduction in available landfill options and the pressures this is creating for waste operators across the country.
Scotland’s landfill capacity under pressure
During the interview, Alasdair explained that in 2025 there were ten main landfill sites handling much of Scotland’s waste. This has now reduced significantly, with only a small number of sites continuing to provide capacity and some facing their own operational challenges.
Current estimates discussed during the interview suggest that Scotland’s available landfill void space could become critically constrained by spring or summer 2027.
While much of Scotland’s household waste is contracted to Energy from Waste facilities, landfill remains necessary for other waste streams, including some commercial and industrial wastes that are not suitable for Energy from Waste.
Alasdair described the waste sector as effectively the “fourth utility”, explaining that if the waste sector cannot function effectively, the consequences extend to businesses and organisations across Scotland.
Recycling has an important role to play
The discussion also looked at the gap between Scotland’s ambitions for a circular economy and current recycling performance.
Alasdair said:
“We probably have one of the best recycling infrastructures available at household level, any place in the world and we’re still sitting at 50% recycling… we should be sitting at least 80% and if we were doing this then the need for energy from waste facilities and landfill would significantly reduce.”
He highlighted the importance of not only providing recycling infrastructure but continuing to educate households and businesses on how to use these systems effectively.
Food waste was given as one example. Although separate food waste collections are widely available, significant quantities of food continue to be placed in residual waste bins. Improving participation could help reduce the amount of material requiring disposal.
“I’m more worried about this than I ever have been in my career”
When asked whether Scotland could ultimately face rubbish piling up because of a lack of disposal capacity, Alasdair reflected on the seriousness of the current situation:
“I’m more worried about this than I ever have been in my career.”
He explained that operators are already experiencing difficulties finding disposal routes, with some waste travelling around 250 miles into England.
However, relying on capacity elsewhere cannot provide Scotland with a sustainable long-term solution.
Alasdair added that engineering additional landfill void space becomes extremely difficult during the Scottish winter, meaning there are practical limitations on how quickly additional capacity can be made available.
Is Scotland running out of space for residual waste?
This isn’t the first time Alasdair has raised concerns around Scotland’s residual waste capacity.
The issue was recently explored in much more detail on Rubbish Talk Episode 123 – “Is Scotland Running Out of Space for Residual Waste?”
The episode looks at the challenges surrounding landfill and Energy from Waste capacity, why Scotland still requires suitable disposal infrastructure and what could happen if sufficient capacity is not available.
Click here to listen to Episode 123 of Rubbish Talk
The message from both discussions is clear: reducing waste and improving recycling remain essential, but Scotland also needs sufficient and resilient infrastructure to manage the residual waste that continues to be produced