21 September 2007
Scotland's spending on waste management will need to rise substantially to £580m if it is to have any chance of meeting European Union landfill targets, Audit Scotland has found.
In a report published on September 20, the public spending watchdog said recycling rates had risen significantly but further increases will be harder to achieve and will cost more.
It warned that urgent decisions need to be made and new facilities built for dealing with waste that is not recycled. Failure to meet targets could result in financial penalties.
According to the report, Sustainable waste management, council expenditure on waste management will need to increase from £351m in 2005/06 to £580m in 2019/20 if targets are to be met.
The report, prepared by Audit Scotland for auditor general Bob Black and the Accounts Commission for Scotland, is the first national overview of progress towards meeting EU landfill targets in Scotland.
It said: 'In contrast to the progress on recycling, the slow progress in developing residual waste treatment facilities means there is a significant risk that the landfill directive targets may not be met.
'In particular, early delays and a lack of organisational capacity within councils and the [Scottish] Executive to deliver change have slowed progress. This will make it difficult to build the residual waste treatment facilities required to achieve the landfill directive targets, in particular the 2013 target.'
That target requires Scottish authorities to reduce the amount of landfill waste by 50% on 1995 levels.
Caroline Gardner, deputy auditor general for Scotland, said Scotland was now far more environmentally aware, with a quarter of household waste being recycled and four out of five people taking part.
But she warned: 'The amount of waste we produce continues to grow. Decisions on how landfill volumes will be reduced need to be taken by the Scottish government as a matter of urgency.'
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