The question of Scottish waste

THE issue of the potential transfer of up to 600,000 tons of rubbish a year to England across the border from Scotland will be raised in Carlisle today. At a meeting in the city, members of Cumberland Council will hear Councillor Roger Dobson quiz a senior councillor on the matter. He will ask Cllr Denise Rollo, the region's portfolio holder for sustainable, resilient and connected places, how much waste from Scotland is expected to be taken by landfills in Cumberland, including landfills operated by private operators. His question comes after reports last week that the SNP Government was “scrambling” to stop up to 100 truckloads of rubbish a day being moved from Scotland to England. It follows their ban on “black bag” waste being dumped at landfills, amid worries it could lead to 600,000 tons of rubbish a year being transported over the border because Scotland does not have enough incinerators to handle it all. However, John Swinney, Scotland’s First Minister, said the situation was “not acceptable” and added that there were several options which were being explored to avoid it from happening. He has refused to rule out a further delay to the law which would ban non-recyclable waste, wood, textiles, paper and food from landfill. It was initially set to be enforced in 2021 but was put back to the end of this year. Speaking during First Minister’s Questions Mr Swinney said: “I do not think that it is acceptable for a large amount of waste to be transported from Scotland to England. The landfill ban will be a significant step in reducing methane emissions in Scotland. “Methane is a greenhouse gas that is around 28 times more potent in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period. Preparations have already been made for the ban coming into force and the vast majority of councils have solutions in place.”