1.3 Developing an Integrated Plan

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

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

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

• ensures consistency with adjoining areas and the national integration of the plan within the National Waste Strategy: Scotland.

The North East WSAG has primarily considered the management of household and commercial waste. At this stage it has not been possible to take the fully integrated approach as suggested in SEPA’s ‘Best Practicable Environmental Option Decision Making Guidance’, because of issues associated with data availability on the quantity, sources, and content of industrial and construction and demolition wastes. This will require ongoing consultation with the North East waste industry to develop a fully integrated plan for non-MSW waste streams and a number of action points to take this forward are set out by the AWP. There is a need for an integrated approach to collecting and managing data, to meet the many demands for waste management information. Data are required for European reporting requirements, policy planning, reviewing performance, assessing the impacts of new legislation, regulating effectively, aiding academic research and communicating with stakeholders.

As part of this process, regular annual surveys of MSW and licensed waste management 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 improvements 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.

Action 1
Establish a comprehensive framework for monitoring the development of the AWP.

Action 2
Establish a multi-stakeholder group to monitor and report on the action plan, targets and indicators.

When completed and integrated across Scotland, the 11 AWPs 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 Decision Making Guidance’. An important element was to seek the involvement of all key stakeholders (waste industry, local authorities and the general public) at various stages of the process. Consistency between adjoining areas is also important. For the North East, this means integration with the Highland and Tayside Waste Strategy Areas and continuing dialogue between the Waste Strategy Area Groups.

The AWP establishes a broad approach to managing MSW in the North East area. However, it must not be seen in isolation, but part of the wider drive of moving to environmental and community awareness and sustainability objectives. The AWP will therefore influence and, in turn, be influenced by other policy documents and initiatives and 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 potentially influential documents is summarised in Annex 3.