Greens slam delay on landfill ban on biodegradable waste
Scotland has delayed a ban on putting biodegradable waste into landfill by five years, despite the move being a key ask of the Committee on Climate Change.
The purpose of the ban is to reduce the amount of waste landfilled and reduce the resultant greenhouse gas emissions.
At the request of Scottish Greens environment spokesperson Mark Ruskell, Holyrood’s environment committee is to write to the Scottish Government calling for a robust plan to make sure the ambition is delivered.
Commenting, Mark Ruskell said: “This delay should never have happened, and seriously undermines the Scottish Government’s green credentials.
“Ministers are quick to blame others when it can’t meet its own targets, but where was the support for local authorities and the commercial sector to get this done? The warnings from industry were there for years and there was a failure of leadership from Government to put in place long term infrastructure and investment plans.
“It is yet another example of a complete lack of urgency when it comes to tackling the climate emergency, and why targets alone don’t deliver change.
“We’re not going to tackle waste mountains by accident. We need the rapid deployment of the kit required to treat biodegradable waste and we need the capacity at local authority level to do it. There needs to be a doubling down on plans to reduce the amount of waste that’s produced in the first place alongside more recycling if we are to tackle the climate emergency, clean up litter and protect our environment.”