MoreThanWaste.com - Landfill Directive target “unlikely to be met” in Scotland (20/09/2007)

"...... the amount of waste we produce continues to grow. It is unlikely Scotland will be able to meet the EU Landfill target for 2013 as there has been slow progress in developing facilities to treat the waste we don’t recycle. Decisions on how landfill volumes will be reduced need to be taken by the Scottish Government as a matter of urgency"

Caroline Gardner, Deputy Auditor General for Scotland

It is unlikely that Scotland will be able to reduce landfill to the levels required by the European Union in 2013 and urgent decisions now need to be made, according to an official report released today.

Scotland is finding that the development of new waste management facilities for residual wastes is making slow progress, says the Accounts Commission for Scotland. The organisation says that recycling rates have risen significantly, but further increases will be harder to achieve and will cost more.

The organisation considers that it is unlikely that Scotland will be able to meet the 2013 EU targets, which could result in substantial financial penalties for the UK imposed by the European Union.

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.

The report calls for publication of a detailed action plan to deliver facilities for treating residual waste. It also recommends that the Scottish Government and councils need to learn from best practice and ensure they have the expertise and knowledge to deliver the change required.

Proposed Oxwellmains, Dunbarton Efw-CHP facility (Artistic impression - Viridor)

Delays in procurement of facilities

The report looks at this issue in detail and appears to be damning on the progress made from as far back as 1997, though the current
Scottish Government (formerly Scottish
Executive) can always point to the responsibilities of the previous administration.

It is pointed out that overall it took 6 years from 1997 – 2003 for SEPA, the Executive and councils to produce the National Waste Strategy, National Waste Plan and associated Area Waste Plans.

In Scotland the National Waste Strategy is being implemented through Waste Strategic Areas, which combine councils with other stakeholders, including local environmental groups and the waste industry. The Accounts Commission found that most council managers felt that the Area Waste Plans provided a sound basic framework for progress, but several considered that they could have been produced more quickly than the three years involved if a statutory framework for production had been in place.

In 2003, the Executive requested councils to produce costed implementation plans for each Area Waste Plan, but there were considerable delays after this point says the report.

Poor bidding guidelines

Early guidelines to councils on the Strategic Waste Fund bidding process did not properly describe the information they required to evaluate the bids. The result was that bids from councils varied in structure and content and were difficult to compare, with many not containing adequate information for value for money assessment.

The report says that the Executive later provided revised guidelines (though not on value for money), and REMADE helped a number of authorities to put together the information required.

Frustration and delay occurred when some councils had to rework bids to meet unpublished value for money guidelines.

Phasing of National Waste Plan

The implementation of the National Waste Plan was split into two phases with the first concentrating on the priority of increasing recycling through kerbside schemes and the second dealing with infrastructure for residual waste. This led to delays in investing in waste infrastructure, according to the report.

A combination of the various factors had led to significant underspends in the Strategic Waste Fund and over-optimism on the anticipated rate of progress in the commissioning of residual waste infrastructure.

The result of the phasing on the Strategic Waste Fund has meant that “deadlines for projects to deal with residual waste are extremely tight”.

The report concludes that “residual waste treatment facilities are unlikely to be delivered in time to achieve the 2013 Landfill Directive targets”, though it acknowledges that increases in the quantities of wastes recycled and composted could enable achievement of the 2010 targets.

Councils’ expenditure on waste management will need to reach an estimated £580 million in 2019/20 compared to approximately £351 million spent in 2005/06.

Comments

Isabelle Low, Deputy Chair of the Accounts Commission for Scotland, said:

“Councils have done well so far to achieve a rapid rise in recycling rates. But we still need to recycle more and success in the next phase will be harder. The Scottish Government recycling targets will be difficult and costly to meet due to the need to recycle more types of waste, extend access to hard to reach areas such as tenements and rural communities, and because the value of additional materials collected will fall. The best way forward is for councils to standardise recycling schemes and use Best Value reviews to ensure greater consistency and value for money.”

Caroline Gardner, Deputy Auditor General for Scotland, said:

“As a nation we are now far more environmentally aware. Councils and the Scottish Executive have played a key role in encouraging and enabling the public to recycle, and with considerable success. A quarter of our household waste is currently recycled, with four out of five people taking part.

“Yet the amount of waste we produce continues to grow. It is unlikely Scotland will be able to meet the EU Landfill target for 2013 as there has been slow progress in developing facilities to treat the waste we don’t recycle. Decisions on how landfill volumes will be reduced need to be taken by the Scottish Government as a matter of urgency.”

The report sets out a number of further recommendations for the Scottish Government and councils and will be considered at the Scottish Parliament’s audit committee on Wednesday 26 September.

Further information

The report "Sustainable waste management" can be found on the Audit Scotland website.


	Landfill Directive target “unlikely to be met” in Scotland (20/09/2007) "...... the amount of waste we produce continues to grow. It is unlikely Scotland will be able to meet the EU Landfill target for 2013 as there has been slow progress in developing facilities to treat the waste we don’t recycle. Decisions on how landfill volumes will be reduced need to be taken by the Scottish Government as a matter of urgency" Caroline Gardner, Deputy Auditor General for Scotland It is unlikely that Scotland will be able to reduce landfill to the levels required by the European Union in 2013 and urgent decisions now need to be made, according to an official report released today. Scotland is finding that the development of new waste management facilities for residual wastes is making slow progress, says the Accounts Commission for Scotland. The organisation says that recycling rates have risen significantly, but further increases will be harder to achieve and will cost more. The organisation considers that it is unlikely that Scotland will be able to meet the 2013 EU targets, which could result in substantial financial penalties for the UK imposed by the European Union. 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. The report calls for publication of a detailed action plan to deliver facilities for treating residual waste. It also recommends that the Scottish Government and councils need to learn from best practice and ensure they have the expertise and knowledge to deliver the change required. Proposed Oxwellmains, Dunbarton Efw-CHP facility (Artistic impression - Viridor) Delays in procurement of facilities The report looks at this issue in detail and appears to be damning on the progress made from as far back as 1997, though the current Scottish Government (formerly Scottish Executive) can always point to the responsibilities of the previous administration. It is pointed out that overall it took 6 years from 1997 – 2003 for SEPA, the Executive and councils to produce the National Waste Strategy, National Waste Plan and associated Area Waste Plans. In Scotland the National Waste Strategy is being implemented through Waste Strategic Areas, which combine councils with other stakeholders, including local environmental groups and the waste industry. The Accounts Commission found that most council managers felt that the Area Waste Plans provided a sound basic framework for progress, but several considered that they could have been produced more quickly than the three years involved if a statutory framework for production had been in place. In 2003, the Executive requested councils to produce costed implementation plans for each Area Waste Plan, but there were considerable delays after this point says the report. Poor bidding guidelines Early guidelines to councils on the Strategic Waste Fund bidding process did not properly describe the information they required to evaluate the bids. The result was that bids from councils varied in structure and content and were difficult to compare, with many not containing adequate information for value for money assessment. The report says that the Executive later provided revised guidelines (though not on value for money), and REMADE helped a number of authorities to put together the information required. Frustration and delay occurred when some councils had to rework bids to meet unpublished value for money guidelines. Phasing of National Waste Plan The implementation of the National Waste Plan was split into two phases with the first concentrating on the priority of increasing recycling through kerbside schemes and the second dealing with infrastructure for residual waste. This led to delays in investing in waste infrastructure, according to the report. A combination of the various factors had led to significant underspends in the Strategic Waste Fund and over-optimism on the anticipated rate of progress in the commissioning of residual waste infrastructure. The result of the phasing on the Strategic Waste Fund has meant that “deadlines for projects to deal with residual waste are extremely tight”. The report concludes that “residual waste treatment facilities are unlikely to be delivered in time to achieve the 2013 Landfill Directive targets”, though it acknowledges that increases in the quantities of wastes recycled and composted could enable achievement of the 2010 targets. Councils’ expenditure on waste management will need to reach an estimated £580 million in 2019/20 compared to approximately £351 million spent in 2005/06. Comments Isabelle Low, Deputy Chair of the Accounts Commission for Scotland, said: “Councils have done well so far to achieve a rapid rise in recycling rates. But we still need to recycle more and success in the next phase will be harder. The Scottish Government recycling targets will be difficult and costly to meet due to the need to recycle more types of waste, extend access to hard to reach areas such as tenements and rural communities, and because the value of additional materials collected will fall. The best way forward is for councils to standardise recycling schemes and use Best Value reviews to ensure greater consistency and value for money.” Caroline Gardner, Deputy Auditor General for Scotland, said: “As a nation we are now far more environmentally aware. Councils and the Scottish Executive have played a key role in encouraging and enabling the public to recycle, and with considerable success. A quarter of our household waste is currently recycled, with four out of five people taking part. “Yet the amount of waste we produce continues to grow. It is unlikely Scotland will be able to meet the EU Landfill target for 2013 as there has been slow progress in developing facilities to treat the waste we don’t recycle. Decisions on how landfill volumes will be reduced need to be taken by the Scottish Government as a matter of urgency.” The report sets out a number of further recommendations for the Scottish Government and councils and will be considered at the Scottish Parliament’s audit committee on Wednesday 26 September. Further information The report "Sustainable waste management" can be found on the Audit Scotland website.