1. Introduction

1.1 Background

Waste management in Scotland is facing a period of rapid and radical change. Driven by European legislation, the need for improved environmental protection and public expectation, we must find ways of reducing our current dependence on landfill and move towards more sustainable methods of managing waste. We must also seek to reduce the growth in waste arisings, minimise resource use, reduce the hazardous content of waste and find solutions that do not compromise the future – in line with the principles of sustainable development. This will require a fundamental change in our current attitude to waste and an acceptance that we all have a responsibility to reduce waste and not simply to pass the responsibility to others.

To assist in tackling these issues SEPA published the National Waste Strategy: Scotland, in 1999, which set out the process of Area Waste Planning and formation of 11 Waste Strategy Area Groups (WSAG) across Scotland. The strategy was adopted by the Scottish Executive as the principal mechanism to develop sustainable waste management across Scotland The Lothian and Borders Waste Strategy Area Group is a partnership of the five neighbouring Councils namely City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, West Lothian and the Scottish Borders with Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothians, Scottish Enterprise Borders, Business Environment Partnership, Lothian and Edinburgh Environmental Partnership (LEEP), Scottish Environmental Services Association, Scottish Waste Awareness Group (SWAG) and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

Although the co-ordination and production of this Area Waste Plan was led by SEPA, it is recognised that the development of the Lothian and Borders Area Waste Plan is a fully inclusive partnership approach and the plan is owned and will be implemented by the Waste Strategy Area Group members as well as Lothian and Borders stakeholders, such as members of the public, local business, industry, community sector and interest groups. Due to the size of the area and the number of organisations with a stake in the Area Waste Plan process, the group also established focused working groups to look at specific issues and undertake specific actions to feed back to the Waste Strategy Area Group: Local Authority Cleansing Officers, Planning, Waste Industry and Waste Producers. The Group began meeting in April 2000 and has met regularly since.