Scottish Government 'has lost control' of incineration after 15% spike in waste burned last year

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The Scottish Government has “lost control” of incineration, it’s been claimed, after the burning of waste jumped by 15 per cent in a year.

New figures, published by eco watchdog SEPA, show a huge surge in waste burned from 2022 to 2023 of 15.4 per cent - a bigger rise than the previous three years combined. Data also shows Scottish household recycling rates improved by only a tiny fraction, from 43.3 per cent in 2022 to 43.5 per cent in 2022.

Green groups said the figures have “flatlined for a decade” despite SNP ministers previously pledging to reach 60 per cent recycling by 2020. The stats on waste-burning, meanwhile, come despite Holyrood chiefs introducing a ban on new incinerators in 2022.

However, we previously told how a dozen of the environmentally damaging waste-burning plants will still be built up to 2027. Kim Pratt, circular economy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “It’s clear that the Scottish Government has lost control of incineration in Scotland.

“It’s meaningless to ban new incinerators if you’re not going to make sure that it actually stops more waste being burnt. Runaway incineration rates are causing climate-wrecking emissions and air pollution across Scotland.

"Incinerator companies are now racing to develop new plants. The Scottish Government has the power to prevent more incinerators being turned on in Scotland and it needs to close the loophole in its own incinerator ban now.”

She added: “The Scottish Government is failing to make progress with household recycling, and Scotland has fallen well behind our neighbours."

John Young, of the Dovesdale Action Group which campaigned to stop a new incinerator from being built in Lanarkshire, said: “Despite the Scottish Government's commitment to ban new incinerators, there are more in the planning process approved prior to national review or in construction than exist in Scotland presently. This is unacceptable.”

Shlomo Dowen, from the UK Without Incineration Network (UKWIN), added energy produced by waste incineration is the UK’s “dirtiest form of energy” and stated: “Scotland needs to focus on an incineration exit strategy.”

SEPA said overall household waste had fallen to its lowest levels on record, with landfill rates falling by 30 per cent. Jo Zwitzerlood of the watchdog said: “We’re making positive steps towards lowering the carbon impact of Scotland’s household waste and seeing lower amounts of waste generated and disposed of to landfill."

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