As it stands, Scotland admirably wants to place a ban on all household waste going to landfill by 2021. The ban would apply to 'black bag' waste, and recyclable material that is needlessly sent to landfill. There is a particular concern about biodegradable waste going to landfill.
However, it is believed that less than half of all councils in Scotland actually have plans in place to meet the target, leading to fears that waste from Scotland may have to be sent to England for disposal if Scotland were to meet its target.
Furthermore, a new study has shown the ban could actually cost the taxpayer over £1bn. The study of waste markets has predicted that there is not enough capacity to meet the level of need. This means that if recycling targets are met, the gap in treatment capacity compared to waste produced could be one million tonnes per year. If no action is taken to tackle the gap, or if waste minimisation is too slow, Scotland will need to export its waste.
The report states, "Excluding consideration of waste minimisation and recycling, the ban will result in significant economic costs to Scotland due to the need to export an increased amount of residual waste - whether as an interim solution until new thermal treatment capacity comes online, or as a long-term solution."
A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said "Our focus now is on working with authorities who do not yet have a solution in place to identify ways, such as collaborative procurement and improved recycling, in which they can comply with the ban."
