1.3 Developing an Integrated Plan

The Area Waste Plan seeks to adopt an integrated approach which:

• Ensures that all waste streams are considered together and the solutions chosen for individual waste streams are considered in the light of how they affect the management of others
  

• Considers waste minimisation, reuse, recycling, energy recovery, disposal, promotion and education and local market development in a coherent and planned way
  

• Ensures consistency with adjoining areas through the national integration of the plan within the National Waste Strategy: Scotland and relevant development plans.

To date, the work of the Waste Strategy Area Group has focussed predominantly on household and Local Authority collected commercial waste (Municipal Solid Waste – [MSW]), waste minimisation, and identifying the views and needs of householders, local waste producers and waste industry through extensive consultation. It has not been possible to take the fully integrated approach in this first phase of developing the Area Waste Plan as suggested in SEPA’s BPEO Decision Making Guidance, due to the lack of complete and robust information on the quantity, sources and content of all controlled wastes. See Section 4 for framework to address Non-municipal Solid Waste.

It is recognised that there is a need for an integrated approach to collecting and managing data to meet the many demands for waste management data. Data are required for European reporting requirements, policy planning, reviewing performance, assessing the impacts of new legislation, regulating effectively, aiding research and communicating with stakeholders.

As part of this process, regular annual surveys of MSW and waste management licensed sites are being brought forward by SEPA. In addition, work is ongoing to improve the quality of data on special waste, priority waste streams and general industrial wastes. Significant improvement will need to be made to the quality of data on waste arisings if the shift to an effective resource management culture in Scotland is to be achieved.

The option selected for MSW and the proposals being developed for waste minimisation have been considered in light of the objective to pursue integrated wastes management. To ensure that all controlled wastes are considered and the needs of business and industry are represented, a national framework has been developed (see Section 4) along with a range of actions. It is anticipated that in developing facilities to recover, treat and dispose of MSW, there will be potential opportunities for integrating elements of similar commercial and industrial wastes.

When completed and integrated across Scotland, the 11 Area Waste Plans will require to collectively meet national legislative requirements. In order to achieve consistency of approach across the Waste Strategy Areas a broad methodology and guidance was established through the following key documents: “Supporting Guidance for Area Waste Plans” and “Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO) Decision Making Guidance”. An important element was to seek the involvement of all key stakeholders (e.g. waste industry, business waste producers, local authorities and the general public) at various stages of the process. Consistency between adjoining areas is also important. For Lothian and Borders this means close liaison with the Fife, Forth Valley, Glasgow and Clyde Valley, and Ayrshire Dumfries and Galloway Waste Strategy Areas.

The Area Waste Plan establish a strategic approach to waste management in the Lothian and Borders area. However, it must not be seen in isolation, but as part of the wider drive of including environmental and community awareness in the overall sustainability objectives. The Area Waste Plan will, therefore, influence and in turn be influenced by a range of other policy documents and initiatives. It also has a key role in integrating the investment programmes and other plans, strategies and initiatives developed by central and local government, partner agencies and the waste industry generally. A list of potential linked documents is outline and summarised in Annex 3.