McArthur: SNP and Greens could ship waste down south

Scottish Liberal Democrat climate emergency spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP has today warned the Scottish Government that it isn’t doing anywhere near enough to lower the rates of landfill. It comes as new statistics reveal the government is failing to meet its own target for reducing landfill.

According to SEPA’s latest statistics for 2021, the Scottish Government target is for less than 5% of waste to be sent to landfill, but that number is currently sitting at 30.2%. This figure has barely fallen since 2016, when it was around 32%.    

A ban on disposing Biodegradable Municipal Waste (BMW) in landfill was originally scheduled to come into force in 2021, however this commitment has been hit by a series of delays. The ban is now scheduled to come into force four years’ late in 2025.    

Mr McArthur said:  

“Landfill isn’t going to serve as the SNP/Green dumping ground for much longer. With targets being missed by miles, it’s not at all clear what the government plans to do with all its excess waste.

“When the landfill ban eventually comes into place, it seems inevitable that much of the waste will simply be shipped south of the border. Indeed, Lorna Slater has already admitted that this is a possibility.

“Carrying lorryloads of rubbish to be landfilled just beyond Berwick is even worse for the environment than landfilling it here due to the emissions generated by those journeys. If this was happening in reverse, SNP/Green ministers would be up in arms.

“Time and again, this government has been big on promises, but short on delivery. It is a criticism we hear regularly from the UK Climate Change Committee.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats believe in benefits of pooling and sharing between our family of nations, but that shouldn’t involve cheating targets by sending Scotland’s rubbish to be landfilled across the border.

"The solution is delivering support for businesses and households to reduce waste, through better recycling services, a latte levy and enabling the transition to more environmentally friendly methods of production."