Executive Summary

This Tayside Area Waste Plan has been developed by the Waste Strategy Area Group to establish a framework for improved waste management practices across the three local authority areas of Angus, Dundee City and Perth & Kinross.

This plan is the final output of a process to profile a range of waste management options for the next 20 years, appraise these options and establish a best practicable environmental option (BPEO) for Tayside.

The key aim of the area waste plan (AWP) is to:

‘Contribute to the sustainable development of the Tayside Area by developing waste management systems that will control waste generation, reduce the environmental impacts of waste production, improve resource efficiency, stimulate investment and maximise the economic opportunities arising from waste’.

The principle of sustainable development is now fully embedded at all levels of Government thinking and policy-making. The Scottish Executive recognises that effective resource use is a crucial element of sustainable development and therefore set the following objective within the spending proposals for 2003–6:

‘Ensure progress towards sustainable waste management of Scotland’s waste and achievement of EU landfill reduction targets by 2010, 2013 and 2020’.

The Executive overall national target set to achieve this aims to:

• Increase the amount of waste collected by the local authorities which is recycled or composted to 25% by 2006..
  

This Area Waste Plan has five main parts:

The plan primarily focuses on municipal solid waste (MSW), produced by households and some commercial premises that is collected and managed by the Councils. It sets out the strategy for implementing the best practicable environmental option (BPEO), as agreed by the group in December 2001 and reported in the Tayside Draft Area Waste Plan dated April 2002. Further detail on the other options considered, the assumptions made and consultation feedback are contained within the documents referenced in annex 4.

Information and data on non-MSW, from industrial, non-local authority collected commercial, non-natural agricultural and mines and quarries is currently insufficient to conduct a thorough analysis of management options and identify the BPEO. Therefore only a framework for the future development of BPEO for non-MSW is presented in Section 4 and the Tayside Waste Strategy Area Group will continue to identify areas where management of this waste stream can be improved.

Summary of MSW BPEO

The BPEO for the management of MSW within Tayside contains the following elements:

• Preventing the generation of waste at source.
  

• Increasing segregated kerbside collections of dry recyclate and compostables.
  

• Increasing the quantities of paper, card, glass, plastic, metal etc. recycled.
  

• Increasing the quantities of putrescible wastes,(e.g. garden and kitchen waste) composted.

• Ensuring energy recovery from appropriate wastes by combustion at the DERL energy from waste plant.
  

• Reducing the quantities of waste going to landfill.

The table below summarises the proportions of the total amount of MSW and how they are managed over time.

Es.1 - Indicative BPEO percentages for Tayside MSW

The BPEO requires increased levels of public awareness and participation in waste prevention and in source separating of materials for kerbside collection. It also encourages communities to get involved in developing local projects that have added social or environmental value.

Improved collection systems aim to capture a high quality material and make recycling accessible to householders across Tayside. Initiatives to increase diversion of biodegradable municipal waste from landfill include kerbside collection of garden wastes and development of centralised and local community composting sites.

Taking forward the Tayside AWP will require partnership working at a range of levels and with a number of stakeholders. Consequently, it is essential that commitment is given by all stakeholders, to both the principles behind the plan and the range of actions promoted. Education and awareness raising is a vital element in achieving widespread attitude and behaviour change towards household and commercial waste management.

Changes from the Draft Area Waste Plan
The draft area waste plan was consulted on between May and July 2002. The consultation generated 75 responses of which around 80% said they were happy with the plan. Three general areas of improvement were highlighted:

• It was felt that the BPEO was swamped by the other options presented. Only the BPEO has been carried through to this final plan.
  

• Education and awareness raising was not considered to be highlighted enough. This section has been expanded.
  

• Some of the actions were not clear enough. A ‘smart’ action plan matrix has been developed.

Implementation of the Tayside Area Waste Plan
In order to implement this AWP, a number of actions have been established and these are contained in Annex 2. These actions will mainly:

• take forward the development of the AWP;
  

• ensure appropriate data and information is gathered in order to monitor and develop the AWP; and
  

• develop the detailed implementation arrangements.

Implementation of this plan will result in the management of waste costing more. Increasing levels of funding will be required for local authorities and inevitably the producers of waste will be required to pay more. The land use planning system will require to take account of the AWP and ensure that appropriate land allocations and planning permissions for infrastructure is in place..

Area Waste Plan Process