Scotland currently lags behind the UK average, recycling about 7% of its waste. The North-East is one of 11 regions in Scotland that has to draw up a waste plan under the National Waste Strategy, which was published in February 2003 (see letsrecycle.com story).
The region, which includes Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council and Moray Council, currently recycles 4% of its waste and composts a further 7%.
The new plan, launched in Aberdeen yesterday, looks into how the region's annual 300,000 tonnes of waste will be treated. It aims to reach a 50% recycling and composting rate within 17 years while cutting landfill rates to taking just 33% of waste arisings.
Commenting on the plan, councillor Eddie Coutts, vice chairman of Moray council's environmental services, said: “We all face a major task ahead to achieve the culture change necessary but, with the appropriate funding from the Scottish Executive's Strategic Waste Fund and the continued partnership working with the other local authorities, we are confident that we will succeed.”
The full 2020 targets of the new plan are as follows:
- Recycling: 29%
- Composting: 21%
- Energy from Waste: 17%
- Landfill: 33%
A significant component of the plan will be composting, while energy from waste recovery will also play a important role – SITA UK is currently seeking planning permission for a 160,000 tonne incinerator at Altens, Aberdeen.
Speaking at the launch of the North-East waste plan, Scottish Parliament environment minister Ross Finnie said: “Each year we squander valuable resources and energy by burying them in landfill sites. Such waste damages our environment and our economy. I welcome, therefore, the steps being taken in the North-East to move to more sustainable use of our resources.”
Behaviour
Mr Finnie added that meeting the “challenging targets” would “depend on a real change in public behaviour”. Councillor Alison McInnes, chair of Aberdeenshire council's infrastructure services committee, said that it was vital that the public should be provided sufficient information to bring about the change needed.
Ms McInnes said: “It is important that the public are well-informed about waste issues, the proposed changes to their local waste management systems and how to use the new systems easily and effectively. Close partnership working between the three local authorities is well established and will be further strengthened through a joint public education and promotional campaign.”
Aberdeenshire has already been awarded 62 million from the Strategic Waste fund (see letsrecycle.com story) to improve its waste management performance with an enhanced network of civic amenity sites, extended kerbside collection programmes and a waste awareness campaign.
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