But as part of the major announcement on Thursday, revealing the details of the new Scottish Nationalist Party administration, Scotland's environment secretary Richard Lochhead explicitly denounced the projects, which have had their “pathfinder” funding from the government withdrawn.
Mr Lochhead said in his statement to the Scottish Parliment: “Indicative allocations to local authorities last year, awarded by the previous administration, envisaged that in some areas, such as the Lothians and Lanarkshire, around 40% of municipal waste would be incinerated. The Lothians themselves suggested that around 50% of their waste could be incinerated. The Government rejects that option.”
The Lothian & Borders Waste Management Project, which includes the City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, Scottish Borders and West Lothian councils, submitted an Outline Business Case in September 2007 seeking support through the Strategic Waste Fund for new waste infrastructure.
The Scottish Government's policy announcement last week has thrown this process into some doubt. They fear that any delay in the project will cost them £1.5 million every month in government fines for missing landfill targets.
Cllr Paul McLennan, who chairs the strategic forum of the Lothian & Borders Waste Management Project, said: “We note with interest the Minister's Statement on Waste announced today. It is of concern that indicative funding for this Pathfinder Project has been withdrawn. We will study these proposals carefully to see how it will affect our Outline Business Case.”
“While we support the Government's aspiration to a Zero Waste society, we recognise that this is a long-term aim and that there is an urgent need for short- and medium-term solutions,” he added.
Cllr McLennan raised doubts about the Scottish Government's new 70% recycling goal, suggesting that “no country in the world has recycling levels of 70% for municipal waste”.
He said representatives of the Lothian and Borders project will request an urgent meeting with Mr Lochhead in order to discuss the implications of the new government waste policy on its plans for waste management.
“Any solution we adopt will have to meet strict criteria for environmental responsibility as well as those for economic viability, and can contribute to the goal of a Zero Waste society,” Cllr McLennan said.
CIWM
Meanwhile, the waste management sector has welcomed the announcement from the Scottish Government.
The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management commended the “strong commitment to recycling and diversion from landfill” shown by the “very challenging” targets set by Mr Lochhead.
Professor Jim Baird, chairman of the CIWM's Scotland Centre, said on Friday: “The statement made yesterday also puts forward a very clear vision for the future of sustainable waste management in Scotland, and what the infrastructure will look like – providing a welcome degree of clarity for those tasked with developing the services and facilities that will be needed.”
Environmental Services Association chief executive Dirk Hazell said: “Scotland has a massive opportunity to turn from being a disposal to a recycling society. This will need both the commitment shown for example by Bavaria, Scotland's European twin, and also strong partnership with ESA's members to bring state of the art recycling infrastructure and next generation environmental jobs to Scotland.”
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