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SESA News Update
Thermal Treatment in Scotland
John Ferguson, Waste and Resource Strategy Manager for the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), attended SESA’s Regional meeting to inform Members of SEPA’s draft guidelines for the thermal treatment of solid waste. In a revision to existing guidance, the draft guidelines would apply to the thermal treatment of all solid waste streams and would continue to form a material consideration in the determination of planning applications and preparation of development plans.
SEPA’s draft guidelines provide advice to applicants on what SEPA expects from thermal treatment facilities and in particular, the level of detail required for the submission of a permit application for such development. SEPA noted it would require thermal treatment facilities to be capable of recovering heat or heat and power (CHP) and should aim to achieve thermal efficiencies between 60% and 80%.
The draft guidelines would require developers to engage with local authorities to produce a heat recovery plan which, delivered over a 5 year period, would identify options for the use of produced heat and how this could be delivered to end users. The draft guidelines will be made available for consultation in early summer and SESA is preparing its position to inform this consultation process.
Scottish Lib Dem Conference
ESA attended the Scottish Liberal Democrat Conference in Aviemore, hosting a seminar entitled “Curbing Climate Change – Waste Matters” on Saturday 1 March 2008. The main speaker at the event was Mike Rumbles MSP, the Liberal Democrats’ spokesperson on the Environment in the Scottish Parliament.
Launching the event, ESA Chief Executive Dirk Hazell summarised Scotland’s waste policy, congratulating the Liberal Democrats for their previous achievement in Government of quadrupling recycling over five years, and meeting waste targets, starting Scotland on its journey from the Throwaway Society to Europe’s mainstream Recycling Society.
He also highlighted how Scotland still needed perhaps about £1 billion of new recycling infrastructure if the targets were to be met and that this meant Scottish local government must be properly funded to support the Recycling Society. Mr Hazell pointed out that SESA’s Members were ambitious for Scotland’s future as a Recycling Society and could help deliver Scotland’s compliance with European law.
Mr Mike Rumbles MSP spoke about the need for his party to challenge the SNP Government on delivery of their waste strategy, through his work in the Parliament and through the actions of Liberal Democrats in local Government and said that the SNP had in reality made significant budget cuts. The event was concluded with a lively question and answer session involving members of the Party discussing a range of technical and policy issues.
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