The decision has been reached after public consultation over a guideline paper which sets out an area waste plan for the next 20 years and is based heavily on energy from waste.
To implement the waste strategy in Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) set up 11 waste strategy area groups which are required to draw up local waste plans. Orkney and Shetland were the last of the 11 SEPA areas to close their public consultation on waste management options in January. Public consultation is required to enable local waste plans to be drawn up as part of the waste strategy.
SEPA groups Orkney and Shetland into a single waste planning area, but although they are largely interdependent, area waste consultation groups from both Orkney and Shetland have published separate papers on their waste management options. The conclusions are, however, very similar.
There are three main factors that distinguish the Orkney and Shetland waste area from many others in the UK.
- The population, and consequently, the amount of waste produced, is expected to decline steadily over the next 20 years.
- The area already achieves compliance with the Landfill Directive targets for biodegradable municipal waste (BMW).
- Due to the remoteness of the area, the relatively small quantities of waste generated and high transport costs, large scale mechanised recycling operations are not seen to be cost effective.
Following Best Practical Environment Option (BPEO) guidance offered by SEPA, and taking into account the above factors, both consultation groups conclude that the energy from waste plant in Shetland plays a crucial role in all future waste options. Therefore, apart from household and community composting schemes, together with several innovative local recycling and reuse operations, they are heavily reliant on incineration at the EFW plant, or landfill, the least attractive option.
Of the 42,500 tonnes per annum of industrial, commercial and household wastes produced by Shetland, 24,000 tpa, is processed at the EFW plant 17,000 tpa is landfilled and only 1,500 tpa is recycled.
Figures for Orkney are given in a different form, but again, the recycling figure is low with all their biodegradable municipal waste (8,000 tpa) being shipped to the EFW plant in Shetland. An additional 26,000 tpa of commercial and industrial waste is mostly sent to local landfill. Only 15.8% of household waste and 1.3% of industrial waste is recycled.
The energy from waste plant, with a remaining life expectancy of 20 years is, however, both cost effective and efficient. Governed by an Integrated Pollution Control Authorisation issued by SEPA it currently meets all processing and emission standards. Also, given the self-contained nature of the plant, odour, traffic, litter and noise do not cause a public nuisance. In addition, the plant supplies hot water, which is fed into a district heating system for domestic and commercial premises in Lerwick. Unit costs of about 45 per tonne, excluding revenue from the sale of hot water, are high in comparison to landfill, but this difference will reduce as the cost of landfill rises.
Subscribe for free