Better waste regulation
Managing waste through modern and effective
regulation is essential to Scotland’s success both now and for the
future. Scotland needs a system of controls over waste that the
people and businesses can trust and respect and which will achieve
the best possible outcomes for the Scottish environment, wider
society and the economy. Economic growth and sustainable production
and consumption can go hand in hand but changes need to be made now
to the way these controls are applied.
The situation is complex as there are local,
regional, national and global issues to consider. We want to help
to create an attractive place to do business whilst getting the
maximum value and enjoyment from our natural and built environment.
This is extremely challenging.
In recent years we have successfully reduced
our dependency on landfill disposal by increasing the availability
of recycling services and more sustainable treatment technologies.
This will continue but much remains to be done if we are to fully
realise the benefits. A modern and effective approach to regulation
is required to reduce waste production but also to significantly
increase the reuse, recycling and sustainable treatment of waste in
Scotland.
Investment in new technology and services will
help to create the conditions for success, and new jobs and
business opportunities will flow from this. A key aspect of this
will be to ensure that the legislative system keeps pace and deals
with the potential environmental hazards in a proportionate,
targeted and customer-focused way.
Legislation on waste was written at a time
when Scotland’s principal means of dealing with waste was to
landfill it. New policies, practices and technologies have emerged
in recent years which mean that the legislative controls could be
improved to encourage innovation and ensure that the aims and
requirements of the Waste Framework Directive are delivered in
their modern context. The Scottish Government and the Scottish
Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) wish to simplify the system
yet safeguard the high levels of environmental and human health
protection.
The Scottish Government and SEPA remain
committed to the principles of better regulation. A regime designed
around better regulatory principles should:
- eliminate outdated or unnecessary provisions
in legislation;
- consolidate, streamline or merge regulatory
regimes where possible;
- base regulatory permitting, inspection and
enforcement on sound risk principles;
- ensure where companies break the law that
enforcement can be swift and effective;
- minimise the administrative burdens on
companies and regulators wherever possible;
- empower regulators to enforce regulations in
a fair, consistent and proportionate manner;
- promote best practice and advice to regulated
companies wherever possible.