The agreement will mean that the Government will consider national capacity in the decision process for accepting applications to increase incinerator capacity in Scotland.
The purpose of the intervention is to prevent Scotland from becoming “overly reliant” on incineration as a means of waste management.
Mark Roberts, Chief Executive of ESS, commented: “While well-regulated incineration has a role in managing unavoidable residual waste, we must prevent the potential harm caused from over-reliance on this method of waste management.”
Incineration in Scotland
According to ESS, incineration in Scotland has increased by 354% since 2011, with approximately 1.86 million tonnes of waste burned in 2024.
Figures released by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) for 2024 saw the 82.3% of all waste diverted from landfill being managed through incineration.
As of last year, 18 permitted incineration sites were operating in Scotland, and existing facilities have also been increasing their available capacity.
The ESS undertook an investigation following concerns raised that the Scottish Government had failed to implement key recommendations from a 2022 independent review of incineration.
The review recommended that an indicative residual wate management cap should be developed to prevent long-term incineration overcapacity.
Cap to be considered by SEPA
In a report published by the ESS, the public body outlined the measures that the Scottish Government has agreed upon in response to the investigation.
These measures include commitments to:
- Publish an updated forecast of incineration capacity in Scotland
- Develop an indicative residual waste treatment cap
- Integrate the indicative cap into SEPA’s permitting framework
Roberts explained: “The Scottish Government’s commitment to develop an indicative cap and ensuring this is reflected in SEPA’s permitting regulations, will provide a strategic benchmark for decision making, reinforce the objectives of the waste hierarchy and prevent overcapacity that could undermine wider recycling and waste reduction efforts.
“We will continue to monitor the implementation of the new measures and provide updates to the public on progress.”
Kim Pratt, Senior Circular Economy Campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland, added: “This report is a clear warning that Ministers must take immediate action to halt incineration growth which can harm both people and nature.
“For years, every decision which the Scottish Government could have used to reduced capacity has been used to expand it instead.
“The report from ESS is yet another warning to the Scottish Government that they must close the loopholes in its incinerator moratorium now, before it is too late.”
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