The Scottish Government

Waste

Waste is 'any substance or object that the holder discards or intends or is required to discard.' This is the rather formal description for the 22 million tonnes of controlled waste disposed of in Scotland in 2005.

Before any new waste management facilities can be built, they must first be subject to the planning and licensing system. These new installations are typically industrial buildings - that's why sites allocated for industrial use in local plans are normally acceptable locations.

With landfill materials bans being introduced progressively, new infrastructure is needed to provide greater capacity, of a different type and scale, and in new locations. Places to deposit dwindling but substantial levels of residual waste in landfill still need to be found.

The main controlled waste streams (which are regulated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency) are from the municipal, commercial and industrial sectors. Almost half the tonnage comes from construction and demolition.

Recycling of municipal or household waste has reached the Government's 2006 target of more than 25%. Biodegradable waste can be composted. It also has a high energy content which can be recovered efficiently by thermal treatment. That helps to combat greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate change.

Minerals waste is dealt with by separate minerals planning legislation. Nuclear or non-nuclear industry radioactive waste also needs to be managed safely and is subject to complementary regulatory regimes. Agricultural waste is not controlled by the planning system.

Waste management supports a significant green jobs sector across Scotland.

Policy Summary

Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 10 Planning for Waste Management provides key policy guidance.

The Scottish Government is currently pursuing a manifesto commitment to a zero waste Scotland. In planning terms, the National Planning Framework (NPF) identifies the spatial planning dimension of waste management, while SPP 10 Planning for Waste Management encourages a model policy focusing on industrial land for waste management installations. To ensure waste management requirements are met, all development plans must include the relevant policies.