Tag: Incineration review

Scottish Government fails to deliver on key recommendations of incineration review

Environmental campaigners have criticised the Scottish Government’s failure to commit to banning the incineration of plastics by 2030, as recommended by the independent review it commissioned.

Last Friday (5 May), the Scottish Government published its response to the second and final part of its independent review on the role of incineration in dealing with waste in Scotland.

In June 2022, the Scottish Government banned new incinerators following the review’s recommendation, and this latest announcement aims to reduce carbon emissions from existing plants – but campaigners say it falls short.

Rather than phasing out existing incinerators, the Scottish Government is supporting the development of expensive heat networks for them. Experts from the Scottish Government’s own advisory body have shown that the carbon emissions from heat generated from incinerators are higher even than gas boilers, so such measures are likely to increase, rather than decrease carbon emissions.

While the Scottish Government has indicated that it supports a ban on burning plastics by 2030 in principle, it has failed to commit to doing so or set out a credible action plan to deliver it.

Kim Pratt, circular economy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “The failure of the Scottish Government to commit to the main recommendations of its own review is a missed opportunity to phase out existing incinerators and end the harmful practice of burning plastics as soon as possible.

“Plastics are fossil fuels, so burning them is directly contributing to climate breakdown. The independent review showed that incinerators are locking Scotland into a single use system – relying on market forces and promises of future policy changes is not enough to change this. We must take urgent action at every part of the supply chain if we are to stop mountains of non-recyclable plastics being thrown away and burnt.

“The Scottish Government response admitted that plastics often contain toxic chemicals, but the failure today to commit to ending a system which perpetuates their production means it is now more likely that these plastics will continue to harm people and the environment for far longer than they should.

“Instead of committing to a plan to phase out incinerators the Scottish Government has indicated support for the expansion of high-carbon incinerator linked heat networks. Its trust in carbon capture and storage to reduce emissions from incinerators is misplaced.

“Even if cost and technology barriers can be overcome, carbon capture will come too late to be effective for Scotland’s incinerators, which are some of the largest sources of carbon emissions in Scotland right now.”

Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury: Incineration review published

An independent review of the role of incineration in Scotland, which recommends a  cap on future incineration capacity, has been welcomed by the Circular Economy Minister.

Friends of the Earth Scotland have also welcomed it’s findings but say a clear exit strategy is still needed.

The report, which was authored by waste sector expert Dr Colin Church, reviews the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy, with a focus on aligning national capacity with Scotland’s waste reduction targets.

The report makes 12 policy recommendations for the Scottish Government, local authorities and the wider waste industry, including:

  • no further planning permission should be granted to incineration infrastructure within the scope of this Review, unless balanced by an equal or greater closure of capacity.
  • developing an indicative cap that declines over time for the amount of residual waste treatment needed as Scotland transitions towards a fully circular economy.
  • to strengthen community engagement and trust before, during and after development.

The Scottish Government will set out its initial response to the Review in June.

Public consultations on a Circular Economy Bill and a Waste Route Map will launch this month.

Dr Colin 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: “I would like to thank Dr Church for delivering this work, which will play a pivotal role in shaping Scotland’s future waste policy.

“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. As we transition to a circular economy, Scotland will need significantly less incineration capacity than is currently projected and it is vital that we do not have more capacity than we need.

“Dr Church has proposed some valuable recommendations and outlined some important considerations for how we can align the management of residual waste in Scotland with our net zero ambitions. We will consider the recommendations carefully and provide an initial response in June.”

Environmental campaigners have also welcomed the independent report which calls for an immediate ban on new incinerators – but say a clear exit strategy from incineration is still needed.

The report from an independent review has been published today (10 May), and shows the scale of the nation’s incineration problem. The report makes 12 policy recommendations for the Scottish Government, local authorities and wider waste industry.

Kim Pratt, circular economy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “This report shows that the alarming rise in incineration in Scotland must be stopped immediately – rapid action is needed to prevent the loss of valuable resources and stop the climate-wrecking emissions being caused by burning plastics.

“A ban on new incinerators is the first step in turning Scotland’s waste management system around, but it’s only half of the solution. The report makes it clear that more must be done to minimise waste and recycle as much as possible.

“Our current incinerators are some of Scotland’s biggest polluters so they must be phased out if Scotland is to meet its climate goals. It is concerning that the report does not include a detailed carbon assessment, given the direct threat of incinerators to our climate goals.

“Burning plastic releases more carbon than coal and the only way to cut emissions from incineration for good is to stop burning waste. We need to value resources properly, rather than taking from nature, using once then burning or burying the waste.”

The capacity analysis from the report shows that in five years time (2027) Scotland will have more incineration capacity than there is available waste to burn.

One of the first major actions undertaken by Lorna Slater, Minister for the Circular Economy, was to initiate an independent review of incineration of waste. Scotland now joins Wales, which banned incineration in 2021 and has the third highest recycling rates in the world.

Over 1,000 people supported Friends of the Earth Scotland’s calls for an immediate ban of new incinerators and of plastics being sent to incinerators, and a phase out of those already operating.

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