Assessing the costs of meeting Scotland's zero waste targets: report

2: Key Objectives and Research Stages

2.1 This study will inform the new national waste strategy by answering two key questions:

• What new additional infrastructure will be required to meet Scotland's Zero Waste targets for municipal waste?
• What are the costs associated with achieving these targets?

2.2 The main research stages of the study can be broken down into the following steps:

• Establish the cost of a 'do nothing' approach to Scotland's waste management.
• Forecast Scotland's national municipal waste streams to 2025 to meet EU and Scottish Government waste targets.
• Determine the infrastructure required to process these waste streams and meet the targets.
• Quantify the cost involved in meeting the targets through appropriate waste management infrastructure.
• Provide cost-benefit analysis of meeting the targets with the appropriate infrastructure.
• Examine the consequences of different scenarios on meeting the targets and the associated waste infrastructure required.