Zero Waste Plan Ministerial Announcement

Commenting on today’s Ministerial announcement on Scotland’s Zero Waste Plan, Friends of the Earth Scotland’s Chief Executive Duncan McLaren said:

“Zero waste is the right goal for Scotland. We welcome many of the specific proposals announced today, such as targets for re-use of waste, and bans on selected materials going to landfill.

“However the waste industry response to zero-waste aspirations so far has been disappointing. Large incinerators  such as those planned for Dunbar, Greengairs and elsewhere have no role to play in a genuine zero-waste economy, regardless of whether they recover some energy from the waste.

“The Government and SEPA must use this plan to shift the industry’s activity to the top of the waste hierarchy – reducing waste in the first place, and recovering materials and products for reuse – rather than simply changing the disposal method used at the bottom of the hierarchy from dumping to burning.

“If Scotland is to make real progress we must – like Flanders, and other advanced European jurisdictions – ban all unsorted waste from both incineration and landfill, ensuring that reduction, recycling and reuse can play their full role, leaving only small residues for use in localised small-scale energy from waste facilities such as anaerobic digesters.”

For media enquiries please contact:
Davina Shiell, Friends of the Earth Scotland, 0131 243 2700

Notes to Editors:

Friends of the Earth Scotland exists to help people in Scotland look after the planet for everyone’s future. We think globally and act locally in Scotland, delivering solutions to climate change by enabling and empowering people to take both individual and collective action. We offer help to people with the big things in life – helping to sustain a healthy society and environment. We believe that all of our children’s futures will be better because of what we do. www.foe-scotland.org.uk