HUGE quantities of household waste continue to be dumped in Scottish landfill sites.
Figures show more than one million tonnes of municipal waste (1.13m) was buried in 2016 – a 31 per cent drop since 2010.
However England has recorded a 39% fall over the same period, while Wales has seen a 32% drop and Northern Ireland 42%.
Scotland has introduced a statutory ban on sending biodegradable municipal waste to landfill, which will kick in at the start of 2021.
But council leaders have warned it is “unlikely” the ban will be fully achievable in time.
It comes it emerged Highland Council may have to export domestic waste to sites in England at a cost of £80 a tonne due to a lack of facilities.
Experts said alternatives to landfill must be urgently prioritised – including greater use of recycling and waste-to-energy plants.
Malcolm Todd, former managing director of Shore Recycling, said Scotland is at a “crossroads when it comes to the waste management of what is left behind”.
He said: “This requires urgent attention from the Scottish Government as part of their drive to create a circular economy.
“We should be doing more to encourage recycling, but must also recognise the vital contribution that waste-to-energy plants can make, where waste is treated to create heat and power that can benefit local communities rather than being buried in the ground.”
In addition to household rubbish, large amounts of construction and demolition waste are also buried as landfill.
Data from the Scottish Government shows the level of household waste sent to landfill over the past five years has remained broadly the same, while the latest figures for 2017 – which cannot yet be compared with other UK nations – show slight improvement (1.13m to 1.11m).
According to a report published by Biffa last year, the remaining space in landfill sites in Scotland will expire in 2029.
Richard Dixon, director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said England’s greater reliance in incinerators may explain some of the current imbalance.
He said many Scottish councils are now planning or building incinerators to divert waste from landfill, but should instead focus on recycling.
He added: “Scotland talks a good game on resource use and waste, and there are some good things coming, like the forthcoming deposit return scheme for drinks cans and bottles.
“But we are seeing a rush to incinerators by councils which have failed to do enough on the waste challenge.
“The Scottish Government needs to build on its current plans but also needs to work with councils to get more of the basics right if we are to have any chance of meeting our own ambitious waste targets.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Scotland has introduced a statutory ban on biodegradable municipal waste to landfill, which takes effect on 1 January 2021.
“This will divert our municipal residual waste away from landfill on towards alternative treatment.
“As a result the volumes of household waste that we send to landfill will decline significantly over the next few years.”
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