ENFOR - Environmental Analysis Services Framework

Scottish Government policy is to ensure that materials that cannot be avoided, reused, or recycled are managed in a way that:

a.minimises environmental and climate impacts

b.encourages management of materials further up the waste hierarchy, and

c.minimises broader societal impacts

The majority of greenhouse gas emissions in the waste sector come from the decomposition of biodegradable waste in landfills. Landfilling biodegradable waste produces methane, which is 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide. As an important part of delivering Scotland’s net zero ambitions, helping cut harmful emissions and deliver on our climate commitments, the Scottish Government has banned biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) from being sent to landfill.

As a consequence of this ban, along with factors such as Scottish Landfill Tax changes to revenue generating schemes such as the Renewables Obligation and sites reaching capacity, many landfills are expected to close over the coming years.

In the event of a waste/recycling operator experiencing urgent difficulties that threaten their continued operations, an unplanned closure of a landfill or other waste and/or recycling site, the complete abandonment of a landfill or waste/recycling site, or other urgent and quickly-developing situation that jeopardises the continuity of critical waste or recycling services in Scotland the contracted organisations will be required to attend the site to assess the environmental impacts and potential future risks on both the site and surrounding area.