Place cap on use of incineration in waste disposal, expert says

A cap should be placed on the use of incineration as a method of waste disposal in Scotland, a report has said.

The independent review, authored by waste sector expert Dr Colin Church, examined the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy – with a focus on aligning capacity with the country’s waste reduction targets.

Twelve policy recommendations have been put forward to the Scottish Government, local authorities and the wider waste industry.

These include the suggestion that no further planning permission should be granted to incineration infrastructure, unless it is balanced by an “equal or greater closure of capacity”.

An “indicative cap” which declines over time for the amount of residual waste treatment has also been put forward, as well as an aim of strengthening engagement with communities before, during and after development.

A response from the Scottish Government will be set out in June.

Dr Church said: “The evidence I received shows that, whilst well-regulated incineration does have a role to play in managing unavoidable residual waste in Scotland, the capacity currently being proposed is likely to be more than needed, so a lot of it should not be built.

“For the proportion that is developed, the level and quality of engagement with local communities needs to be excellent, which unfortunately has not always been the case to date. There is also more that must be done to reduce the climate impacts of waste incineration, and I look forward to revisiting my provisional recommendations in this area in due course.”

Circular economy minister, Lorna Slater, said the review will play a “pivotal role” in shaping the country’s policy on waste in the future.

Ms Slater added: “We want to create a circular economy, where materials stay in use for as long as possible, and nothing is wasted.

“Only by increasing reuse and recycling can Scotland meet its net-zero targets, and we will be publishing ambitious proposals to achieve this soon.

“It is clear from the review that although incineration has a role to play in managing Scotland’s unavoidable, unrecyclable residual waste in a safe way, that role is inevitably limited.”

Environment spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, Mark Ruskell, said: “I am pleased that the independent review recognises the need for a cap on Scotland’s incineration capacity and recommends that no further planning permission should be granted for new incinerators.

“With a planning moratorium on new incinerators introduced last year, this report should send a further signal to industry that a climate friendly future cannot be based on burning ever larger quantities of rubbish.”