Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway Area Waste Plan

Currently almost all of Scotland's household waste goes to landfill sites. This has been a cheap and – for most of us – convenient way of putting waste out of sight and out of mind. But disposing of unsorted refuse in this way is, quite literally, a waste of the world's resources. It is also a potent source of greenhouse gases and other emissions to the environment with waste management (mainly from landfills) contributing almost a quarter of the total amount of methane emitted in Scotland each year.

Moving to a position where we produce less waste, reuse and recycle more and recover value from as much as possible of what is left is at the heart of the Scottish Executive's approach to sustainable development. Nationally we have set a target of recycling or composting 25% of Scotland's waste by 2006, but we aim to move beyond that to achieve higher levels of recycling and composting and minimise our use of landfill. These are goals that are wholeheartedly supported by the Scottish people. In the recent Executive survey of public attitudes on the environment over two-thirds of people indicated that they were worried or very worried about waste management issues. Many already support recycling and composting initiatives by local authorities and the community sector. Opinion surveys show that more than 80% of people would participate in kerbside recycling if the necessary facilities were in place.

The change cannot be achieved overnight. It will need investment in new services and new facilities and in the development of markets for recycled materials. The Executive has allocated more than £230m over the next three years for these purposes. The change also needs a change of culture so that sorting our waste becomes a part of daily life for all of us. And crucially it must be based on thorough planning taking full account of local circumstances.

The preparation of this Area Waste Plan for Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway along with 10 other area plans and the National Waste Plan, has been the essential first step on the path to change. The Plan is the product of intensive work by East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, and Dumfries and Galloway Councils, and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to identify the best practicable environmental option for waste management in Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway. Its completion is a testament to the potential of partnership working across local authority, organisational and sectoral boundaries and all participants deserve credit for the parts they have played. The exercise has also generated extremely high interest amongst the general public in waste issues, partly as a result of the area groups organising many local meetings, exhibitions, leaflets and consultations.

The programme of change set out in this plan and its counterparts is a challenging one. But it is one, which by building on the partnerships that have been established at national and local level by the waste planning process, we can and must achieve.