Scotland and Energy from Waste
Residual Waste Management
Waste contains usable resources which can be recycled by sorting materials into separate streams for reprocessing into new products. While good progress is being made to recycle more, there will continue to be some left over waste that cannot be recycled. This is known as ‘residual waste’ and is what many householders and businesses understand to be ‘black bag waste’. Most of this residual waste is currently disposed of to landfill which represents the lowest option in the waste hierarchy.
The Zero Waste Plan aims to minimise the quantity of residual waste produced in Scotland through ambitious recycling targets and a statutory duty on waste producers to separate certain materials for recycling. Advice on how to recycle more and minimise residual waste production from your home or business is available from Zero Waste Scotland.
For the residual waste which still remains even after high levels of recycling, new technologies must be brought forward to divert it from landfill in line with the waste hierarchy. One alternative to landfill currently being investigated is the incineration of residual waste, in energy from waste plants, to produce electricity and heat.
Energy from Waste in Scotland
Today's incinerators are subject to much stricter legislative controls than previous generations. They use improved technology and produce fewer emissions in line with the stringent emission standards contained in the European Waste Incineration Directive (WID).
Energy, in the form of electricity and/or heat must be recovered with a high degree of efficiency. Energy from waste could contribute up to 31% of Scotland’s renewable heat target and 4.3% of our renewable electricity target under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. Please see our Thermal Treatment Guidelines for more information about how we ensure high efficiency.
In order that energy from waste is sustainable, it is important that waste which can be recycled is not incinerated. So, from 2013 the incineration of source segregated recyclables (paper, card, plastic, food etc) will be banned. Further, on start up for new facilities and by 2015 for existing facilities, all residual waste sent to incineration must be pre-treated to remove any recyclable material missed at the source segregation stage. Please see our Zero Waste Regulation pages for more details.
More information on the waste incinerators currently operational in Scotland can be found on our site specific information page.
What is SEPA’s Position on Energy from Waste?
- Scotland needs to generate less waste, recycle more and safely maximise the use of the resources left in residual waste in line with the Zero Waste Plan and the waste hierarchy.
- Facilities to recover energy from waste can have a part to play in an integrated national network of waste management facilities.
- Incinerating residual waste to generate energy should not be at the expense of actions taken to prevent or recycle waste and recyclable waste should not be incinerated.
- Appropriately located and well managed energy from waste facilities, that meet modern requirements and the stringent emission standards contained in the European Waste Incineration Directive, should not cause significant pollution of the environment or harm to human health.
- Energy must be recovered with a high degree of efficiency in line with our Thermal Treatment Guidelines.
If you would like to know more about energy from waste, please see our Frequently Asked Questions document. For more information on specific technologies, please see our Residual Waste Factsheets.