‘Disgraceful decision’ from Scottish Government as another incinerator allowed to start burning waste

The Scottish Government has allowed a new incinerator to start burning waste in Scotland, despite hundreds of objections and a local campaign against the incinerator.  

The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) issued the Oldhall incinerator in North Ayrshire with a permit to begin burning waste on 7 November. This followed a public consultation where nearly 2,000 people called on SEPA and the Scottish Government to reject the plans, as the only bodies with the power to stop planned incinerators from going ahead. 

The Scottish Government banned new waste incinerators in 2022, but Ministers are still allowing them to be built in Scotland. Since the ban, four incinerators (including Oldhall) have been allowed to start operating and six more are in the pipeline. 

Loopholes in the ban mean that developers have been allowed to continue to push ahead with their plans to build polluting waste burners in communities across Scotland. After Oldhall, the next incinerator likely to start burning waste in Scotland is the South Clyde Energy Centre in Glasgow, which has been built next to the city’s main hospital. 

In 2022, the Scottish Government’s own independent review on incineration concluded that “given the risks that incineration poses to human health and the environment … Scotland should not construct more capacity than it needs and only some of the currently planned capacity should be built.” 

Last year, a BBC investigation found that energy from incineration is the dirtiest form of energy produced in the UK. Official data also shows that the fumes from these incinerators are becoming more toxic too. 

Kim Pratt, Circular Economy Campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland said:  

“This disgraceful decision by the Scottish Government consigns the people of North Ayrshire to decades of harmful air pollution, ignoring their strong objections. 

“Incineration of waste is expensive, emits harmful air pollution, contributes to climate change, and prevents effective reuse and recycling. It’s people and nature who are paying the price in poorer waste services and more pollution. 

“With more incinerators still in the pipeline, the Scottish Government needs to close the loopholes in its own ban now. The people of Scotland deserve better.” 

Environmental groups including Friends of the Earth Scotland have repeatedly written to the Scottish Government, calling for it to use its powers to direct SEPA to refuse permits for incinerators.  

The Scottish Government has acknowledged that it has these powers but has refused to use them except in “exceptional circumstances”, despite the regulations not requiring this. Scotland’s environmental watchdog, Environmental Standards Scotland is now investigating the Scottish Government’s refusal to use these powers. 

The Scottish Government has said that more incinerators are needed to replace landfill capacity which will be lost when a ban on sending biodegradable municipal waste comes into force at the end of the year. However, last month, the landfill ban was extended for the second time to 2028. It is unclear what this means for incineration capacity or recycling efforts.