News archive - Week ending 21st September 2007

Waste Reduction Could Miss Target

The Accounts Commission for Scotland believes that Scotland could miss a crucial deadline for dealing with waste and has called for urgent decisions by the Scottish Government on how to cut the amount of waste going to landfill. The report is the first national study of progress towards meeting EU landfill targets. If EU targets for 2013 are not met the financial penalties could be significant. A ?waste summit? is already planned for next month to discuss how best to move towards a zero waste society. At present, 1.54 million tonnes of biodegradable waste goes to landfill. It must fall to 880,000 tonnes by 2013.

Although recycling rates have been rising, with about a quarter of municipal waste now being recycled compared to 7% in 2001, further rises will be needed to cut the amount of waste going to landfill and reach EU and Scottish Government targets. One area of particular concern is the slow rate at which new facilities are being built to deal with waste. It is estimated that council spending on waste would have to rise to £580m in 2020, compared to about £351m last year. Councils were warned against burning rubbish to meet requirements. Among the recommendations in the report are identifying the most cost-effective recycling collection schemes and setting up consortia to market recyclables.

Isabelle Low, Deputy Chairman of the Accounts Commission for Scotland, said: "Councils have done well so far to achieve a rapid rise in recycling rates, but we still need to recycle more and success in the next phase will be harder." She added that the best way forward is for councils to standardise recycling schemes and use Best Value reviews to ensure greater consistency and value for money.

Pay as You Throw

Among the suggestions in the Audit Commission for Scotland?s report on landfill, is charging householders for the amount of waste they produce. The report said the UK is unusual in the EU for not having such a charging policy. This will be one of the topics for discussion at the forthcoming waste summit.

Similar plans have been suggested in England where it is estimated that the move could cut as much as £30 from an annual council tax bill of £1100, but equally could lead to direct charges of up to £100 a year for some homes. Audit Scotland said councils spent £116.25 to collect and dispose of waste for each household last year.

Among the possible schemes are, householders having to pay for bags for general rubbish and a weight-based system, where wheelie bins would be fitted with microchips to allow bins to be weighed when they are loaded on to a collection lorry.

Cosla, which represents all 32 Scottish councils, said it did not support direct charging "at this time" but did not rule out the move.

Tourism Businesses Get Help To Become Greener
The Scottish Waste Awareness Group (SWAG) has chosen tourism businesses in the Cairngorms National Park to pilot a national recycling scheme. The scheme will be aimed at and tailored to the tourism sector and it will provide recycling information and opportunities for businesses and visitors.
Tourism businesses and centres are now being invited to join the project which is being supported by the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) and the Cairngorms Recycling Forum. Under the project businesses will be able to access up-to-date information on recycling facilities in the Park and how tourists can get involved in them. The information will be available in a number of ways, including the Waste Aware Business Website www.wasteawarebusiness.org.uk which already provides information and tools to businesses on how to reduce, reuse and recycle waste. The website will also allow businesses to produce awareness raising posters and leaflets. It is also hoped to produce a promotional waste awareness product, such as re-usable bags for tourists.
New Campus Looks to the Future

After six years of planning and work, Queen Margaret University's £100 million Craighall campus in Musselburgh should be ready in time for the new semester due to start on October 8.

The new 35-acre Craighall site, holding educational buildings, a students union, sports facilities and a student village of more than 800 rooms, is being claimed as the country's greenest university campus. It is set in landscaped grounds and everything is open-plan, light, energy-efficient and welcoming. A biomass heating system, using woodchips from the forest floor of the late Duke of Buccleuch's Estate, will allow the university to generate 60 per cent of its energy from a renewable source, while lowering carbon emissions.

Twin bins, labelled "waste" and "recycling" are spaced throughout the site and transport facilities are aimed at reducing the amount of driving to the campus to a minimum.

Novelist Iain Banks presented Queen Margaret University with an award for its new campus in May. The university received a certificate marking its achievement in gaining a rating of "excellent" from the Building Research Establishment's Environmental Assessment Method. It was the highest score recorded by any university project in the UK.

Scotland's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Fall

Emissions in Scotland have fallen by more than 15 per cent since 1990. A 12.5 per cent fall in carbon dioxide emissions in Scotland is around double that of the UK average decrease of 6.4 per cent. Other findings from Greenhouse Gas Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: 1990-2005, show that:

• Emissions in Scotland fell by around 2.7 million tonnes from 17.6 MtC (million tonnes of carbon equivalent) in 1990 to 14.9 MtC in 2005

• Scottish emissions accounted for 8.3 per cent of UK net emissions in 2005

• The highest emitters are energy supply, transport and business. Energy supply emissions have fallen by 10 per cent since 1990. Transport emissions have risen by 11 per cent since 1990. Business emissions have fallen by 22 per cent since 1990

However, published figures for carbon dioxide emissions from Scottish sites in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme indicate an increase of some 1.2 Mt C equivalent between 2005 and 2006, principally from power stations. This is expected to result in an increase in Scottish emissions between 2005 and 2006 which will be reflected in next year?s inventory

Energy Efficiency Panel Named

Climate Change Minister Stewart Stevenson joined the international experts who will help Scotland improve energy efficiency. Meeting for the first time, the panel included experts from Norway, Denmark and Austria along with Scottish designers, developers and contractors, aims to recommend measures to make houses and buildings in Scotland more energy efficient.

Mr Stevenson said, "Scotland already leads the UK in the energy standards set by our building regulations. The expert panel helps us ensure we are doing everything possible to raise standards even further, to save energy and tackle climate change.The international expertise here today is looking at that challenge. I thank them for their work and I look forward to receiving the panel's report by the end of the year."