4.4 Specific Local Waste Streams

The framework described above will be applied nationally and locally to develop plans and best practice for dealing with non-MSW wastes. There are wastes that are more important locally. These include the following:

• Service industry wastes
  

• Agricultural wastes
  

• Food processing wastes.

In addition there are wastes on which we have better data and information. This data and information has come from SEPA initiated priority waste stream projects.

4.4.1 Priority Waste Stream Projects

Waste streams of national significance that may require national solutions will be subject to a priority waste stream project. This initially involves data and information collection that is then reported. Of the 13 identified Priority Waste Stream Projects for Scotland, construction and demolition wastes, tyres, newsprint and end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) have reported. The conclusions of these initial reports are summarised below. Reference should be made to the full reports for the full set of conclusions.

Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste
This waste stream is the largest single source of waste, by weight, due to its high density. The data report estimates that in the year 2000, C&D arisings in Tayside were 740,000 tonnes with approximately 486,000 tonnes (about 65%) being recovered through crushing and screening, road planning and hand picking. Around 125,000 tonnes was disposed of to landfill and 129,000 tonnes disposed of via exempt sites.

Although Tayside had the highest recycling rate in Scotland, the study identified that nationally around 37% of the landfilled C&D Waste could be recycled. Realising this potential locally would create a further 46,250 tonnes of secondary aggregate that could replace virgin aggregate used for construction in Tayside. Information on the current infrastructure for this waste stream can be found on the CIRIA Internet Register of Recycling Sites (http://www.ciria.org.uk).

Through improved resource management of the construction industry, preventing or reducing the production of waste will have the maximum positive environmental impact through reduced resource use, lower emissions and energy consumption. Action 22 in Chapter 5 requires development plans to identify a 10-year forward supply of landfill for inert and non-hazardous wastes. Construction and demolition wastes largely fall into these categories. It is expected that fiscal measures such as landfill tax and aggregates tax will provide further incentive to increase the reuse and recycling of this waste stream and reduce the quantities being landfilled.

Tyres
The national data study on tyres collected data from the tyre-related industry in Scotland. The waste data collected was incomplete and therefore the arisings were also calculated using a predictive model. Arisings in 1999 for Tayside were estimated at 2640 tonnes. The data was broken down into three categories:

• 2120 tonnes discarded by replacement,
  

• 420 tonnes from ELVs; and
  

• 100 tonnes reported as illegally dumped.

The arisings data was further broken down in the study using the headings car, small truck and large truck.

Nationally, around 3% of tyres are reused, 13% recycled (via retreading and silage clamps/landfill engineering) and 49% landfilled. It should be noted however that since 1999 the situation is less bleak in that very few tyres arising in Scotland are now being landfilled. Significant markets are now available, for example, Lafarge Cement UK (formerly Blue Circle Cement Kiln in Dunbar) that use tyres as a coal substitute and old tyres are used within landfill sites for engineering purposes e.g. leachate drainage layer and liner protection.

Implementation of the Landfill Directive will see a ban on whole tyres to landfill by July 2003 and shredded tyres by 2006.

Newsprint
Newsprint is a significant component of municipal and commercial waste streams. This project examined newsprint in the context of its suitability for recycling, its quantity and its potential to stimulate large-scale industrial investment in Scotland through the manufacture of newsprint from recovered materials.

The total newsprint waste arisings in Scotland in 1999 is estimated to have been approximately 240,000 tonnes. Of this, 6% was printers waste, 11% over issue to sales outlets and 83% post-consumer (based on sales data). The extent of post-consumer newsprint waste arisings in Tayside in 1999 was estimated at 15,131 tonnes.

Recovery of newsprint is estimated at 75% printers waste, 100% of over issues and only 14% of post-consumer newsprint arisings for the whole of Scotland.

It is estimated that the requirements of the Landfill Directive targets to divert biodegradable municipal waste from landfill will require the recovery of between 150,000 and 230,000 tonnes per year of newsprint waste by 2016, requiring a five- to eight-fold increase in recovery above current levels. It is unlikely that this will result in new mill capacity being developed in Scotland but a number of other potential outlets have been identified:

• Cellulose insulation materials
  

• Manufacture of waste newspaper briquettes for use as fuel
  

• Animal bedding
  

• Compost.

These outlets could be developed as new reprocessing opportunities within Tayside, but would require a stable and guaranteed supply of materials. This will require co-ordination and co-operation between local authorities and private sector organisations.

End-of-Life Vehicles
There are two different categories of this waste stream:

• Premature ELVs – processed by insurance companies where end of life is determined by damage as a result of an accident, fire, flood or theft.
  

• Old ELVs – processed by local authorities and private owners/vehicle retailers when a vehicle comes naturally to the end of its life between 10–14 years old.

The national study on ELVs estimates 1999 arisings in (cars and light goods vehicles) to be 7251 vehicles, equating to 7106 tonnes (at 0.98 tonnes average weight of an ELV).

Current infrastructure indicates that there are 31 dismantlers/scrap yards/metal recyclers in the waste strategy area. It is likely the higher standards required by the End of Life Vehicles Directive will result in a reduction in the numbers of dismantlers/scrap yards/metal recyclers over future years.

The report identifies best practice under the requirements of the End of Life Vehicle Directive that includes:

• design of vehicles;
  

• recycling/recovering component parts before shredding; and
  

• recycling/recovering material from shredder residue.