'Waste' Report
Thu., September 20, 2007. 00:01.
Green Zero waste policy, not incinerators to deal with problem. (1)
Responding to a report by Audit Scotland published today (Thursday 20th September) which states that Scotland is set to contravene EU law on reducing waste to landfill, Greens said that a clear decision needs to be made between a new generation of incinerators which many councils are proposing, or adopting the Green Party's Zero Waste policy. (2)
Zero Waste is a strategy adopted in many other countries, for example in New Zealand, where waste is designed out of the economy so that it is viewed as a resource and where virtually everything can be reused or recycled. Despite Scotland increasing its recycling rate in recent years, the sad fact is that more and more waste is produced every year. And despite the SNP adopting the Green Party policy in its pre-election manifesto, the new Government is in the process of approving a large number of incinerators to avoid the EU landfill directive. This will undermine a zero waste strategy and will be a double-whammy of u-turns for the SNP because many of the new plants being approved are PFI schemes.
Green MSP Robin Harper said: "Making the dash to incinerate perfectly good paper and plastics will be a move in the wrong direction. It will create waste-hungry plants up and down the country and completely undermine moves towards zero waste. This will be an embarrassing u-turn on two counts for the SNP - not only will it mean abandoning a zero waste manifesto commitment which is shared by many across the parties in parliament, but it will see a proliferation of new PFI schemes. The Minister has already approved one such scheme in Perth and Kinross, and Ministers appear to think they can brazen their way through this by passing responsibility for the decisions onto councils. That's not good enough."
Notes to editors
1. Extract from strictly embargoed release by Audit Scotland:
Public recycling more than ever but landfill targets unlikely to be met
Recycling rates have risen significantly, but further increases will be harder to achieve and will cost more. Because of slow progress in developing facilities to deal with waste that is not recycled it is unlikely that Scotland will be able to reduce landfill to the levels required by the EU. Urgent decisions now need to be made.
Today’s Sustainable waste management report, by the Accounts Commission for Scotland and the Auditor General for Scotland and published by Audit Scotland, says recycling rates have gone up, with around a quarter of municipal waste now being recycled (compared to 7% in 2001/02). There has been a huge increase in the number of recycling schemes, services and facilities. But to meet EU Landfill Directive and Scottish Government targets, councils will need to increase their recycling rates and achieve rapid reductions in the volumes of waste going to landfill.
Audit Scotland reports are published at www.audit-scotland.gov.uk.
2. For more information about zero waste go to: 3. More about 'zero waste'. http://www.scottishgreens.org.uk/site/id/4227/title/Twelve_Steps_To_A_Waste_Free_Scotland.html
For more information about the plans for 17 new incinerators across Scotland go to: http://www.scottishgreens.org.uk/site/id/5864/title/INCINERATOR_PLANS_WILL_TEST_SNP_COMMITMENT_TO_GREEN_POLICY_OF_ZERO_WASTE.html
Contact the Scottish Greens' press team on 07909 933 074.