Future of the Scottish Landfill Communities Fund: consultation

4. Future considerations within the Circular Economy and Waste Policy Context

While the Scottish Government recognises there will remain a need for some landfill capacity, the residual waste landscape is changing as Scotland moves towards a more circular economy, based on sustainable consumption and production. The Scottish Government is committed to delivering a different approach to our economy, one where we move from a "take, make and dispose" model to one where we value materials and keep them in use for as long as possible.

To further drive progress, the Scottish Government has developed and published Scotland’s Circular Economy & Waste Route Map (the ‘Route Map’). Founded on evidence and collaboration, the Route Map is part of the Scottish Government's wider response to twin climate and nature emergencies, sitting alongside a range of other strategies and plans. It sets out an ambitious plan to deliver key priorities to 2030 that will help us progress to a circular economy, more sustainable resource use and support the reduction of emissions associated with resources and waste.

The direction and actions set out in the Route Map are complemented by the new powers in the landmark Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024, and in some places are dependent on these powers. Together they will help us maximise the positive impact of a circular economy for communities across Scotland and help achieve our sustainable resource and climate goals.

Building on existing Scottish Government measures, the Route Map sets out further action to 2030 to ensure that materials that cannot be avoided, reused or recycled are managed in a way that minimises environmental, and climate impacts. This encourages management of materials further up the waste hierarchy and minimises broader societal impacts. The actions most relevant to SLfT and the SLCF are to:

Develop a Residual Waste Plan to 2045, to be published in 2027

This will set the long-term vision for future disposal practices in Scotland to minimise the environmental and climate impacts of waste while ensuring that we have appropriate capacity in place to manage the expected, declining volumes of waste in the future through:

• investigating and making recommendations on Scotland's long-term infrastructure requirements to manage waste, considering how to ensure a strategic withdrawal from landfill and diverting waste away from landfill where appropriate, while ensuring we maintain the necessary capacity to manage waste for which landfill remains the best environmental outcome.
• Taking a targeted approach to manage materials to ensure the best environmental outcome for materials when they require disposal.
• Considering how we manage legacy waste infrastructure to continue to minimise environmental impacts and maximise societal gains.

Facilitate the co-production of guidelines for effective community engagement

An independent review of incineration^[2] in Scotland noted that communities deserve more authentic and committed engagement before, during, and after development of residual waste treatment facilities from local authorities and industry than is currently sometimes the case. In response to the independent review's recommendation on this, we will facilitate the co-production of meaningful and effective community engagement guidance, working with community groups, local authorities, and residual waste operators, seeking to significantly strengthen transparency, community engagement and trust before, during, and after development of facilities.

Question 7: In your view, how should communities be supported to help deliver the Scottish Government’s Circular Economy and Waste objectives?

Question 8: Do you have suggestions as to how communities living near to residual waste treatment (landfill sites etc.) should be supported?