The Scottish Government published its new Zero Waste Plan – a long term vision document backed up by a five-year action plan.

The new plan starts to crystallise what the Scottish Government means by zero waste and how it can be delivered.  It’s interesting – having worked to inform the development of the plan – to think about what it means for our work in Scotland.

Material quality is at the heart of the plan and it will mandate a number of actions around how we consume and manage materials so that more resource – and importantly more value – stays within the economy. 

It proposes to move ahead with landfill bans, coupled with requirements for mandatory separate collections of resource streams.  Material-specific controls on energy-from-waste feedstocks will also be introduced and a new impact measurement system based on climate change benefits will encourage higher quality and higher value recovery.  Our work on life cycle analyses of recycling and recovery options will be important here.

This legal and regulatory framework will be a powerful driver – but the plan also recognises the benefits of proactive change from businesses, individuals and local communities. Campaigns and engagement activity will be a new remit for us in Scotland, so that is an exciting prospect.

The plan backs an extension of our voluntary approach with key industry sectors.  The Scottish economy is still heavily resource based, with oil and gas, chemicals, and fisheries and farming all key players.  So there is scope for us to look at how new resource efficiency agreements might fit.

And at the heart of all this is the new single delivery programme Zero Waste Scotland, which we have been asked to lead.

This too has its implications for our wider work – not least a new brand which we will now use for all our work in Scotland.  We also need to manage this change with stakeholders so they remain assured of our continued delivery and expertise UK-wide.

These are exciting times and I look forward to Iain and his team picking up the mantle.