Circular economy and waste route map to 2030: island communities screening assessment
Island Communities Screening Assessment (ICIA) for Scotland's Circular Economy and Waste Route Map to 2030.
Key findings
44. Following the analysis of the second public consultation for the CEWRM, this ICIA has been updated. The high-level assessment was updated and includes two additional areas for consideration (amendments in bold):
- Transport
- Availability and access to disposal options and/or infrastructure
- Availability and access to products and services
- Employment and skills.
- Constraints regarding public service design
- Disproportionate costs/cost of living implications
45. The consultation respondents broadly agreed with the list set out in the first consultation document, while highlighting infrastructure as an additional issue for consideration. In the second consultation analysis, issues around local service design and additional costs for implementation of interventions were highlighted, while concerns regarding lack of access to and/or capacity of local infrastructure were reiterated.
46. All of the areas for consideration will impact on each strategic aim to a greater or lesser extent. The sections below incorporate the most relevant issues linked to the six areas for consideration for each strategic aim. They also highlight specific interventions, deemed most likely to have relevance with regards to island specific issues, and set out early considerations for any subsequent impact assessment.
A. Reduce and reuse
Responsible consumption, production and reuse:
47. Opportunities for increasing reuse to reduce consumption of goods and packaging may be different for island communities. As well as limitations as result of lower population density making collection services less efficient, they often pay a higher price for deliveries and in certain circumstances additional sums for suitable packaging on items so that it can withstand complex transit arrangements.
48. Infrastructure requirements for smaller quantities of arisings coupled with a smaller market for reusable items may not offer the necessary economies of scale to ensure scheme or business viability. It is recognised that any reuse targets that are developed as a CEWRM intervention will require modelling work to understand island specific impacts and any support that may be required.
49. Equally, if CEWRM measures result in a reduction of waste being produced or if primary producers on islands can sell easily to the local community, then there are potentially more significant benefits on islands due to reduced waste and recycling costs or more effective localised business operations. This may be true regarding any measures to address the disposal of unsold consumer goods, product stewardship measures or promoting circular business models - and as such any future ICIA would be required to explore and understand impacts and benefits.
50. It is understood that island communities already experience a relative lack of choice in terms of access to goods and services when compared to other communities[32]. This is a result of fewer shops in the local area, and the higher cost of deliveries to more remote parts of Scotland[33]. This may be relevant here and should be considered where appropriate when interventions under this strategic aim are taken forward. This is particularly important where specific products have a direct charge attached to them, but alternatives are less readily available for island communities.
51. Interventions that create employment and develop skills in the repair or refurbishment of products could bring additional benefit to island communities where availability of jobs is variable[34]. However, in the development of these measures, consideration should be given to whether opportunities may be more limited compared with other communities given the likely scale of potential operations. For example, this was considered as part of the banning of the sale and supply of single-use vapes.
52. Measures addressing environmental charges for problem products have the potential to have a different impact in islands communities. However, issues are only made clear when interventions are developed, and products are identified and assessed. At this later stage of policy development, as with the recent consultation regarding a single-use disposable beverage cups charge, policy-specific ICIAs should be produced. It is worth noting that the interim ICIA for a single-use disposable beverage cup charge did not identify significantly different impacts for island communities[35].
Reduce food waste:
53. There is potential for redistribution of food to be more challenging in an island setting. The Scottish Government's six-fold urban rural classification (2016) classifies the islands as mainly remote rural, with remote small towns (see Figure 1)[36]. Those living in isolated rural areas have been found to be more vulnerable to food poverty,[37] and the cost of living is generally higher in island communities.[38]
54. Previous research has identified that remoteness can be a challenge both for businesses with surplus food to redistribute, and for community organisations trying to access surplus food, due to the distances involved[39]. Despite this, there are currently a range of redistribution mechanisms in place in island communities. These range from involvement with large-scale organisations such as FareShare[40], who distribute food to charitable organisations, including some in the islands, to locally focused community initiatives such as community fridges and food share schemes.
55. For island businesses with surplus food, the key issue will be whether there are organisations that could make use of the food locally. This may be a challenge particularly in smaller island communities. However, there are examples of local opportunities for redistribution in remote communities in the form of community fridges and community pantries in smaller communities[41] [42].
56. The introduction of mandatory reporting of food waste and surplus requirements placed on businesses would likely apply to businesses across Scotland, and so would not be an island-specific issue. However, island businesses may need to make more changes to their operations than those elsewhere to report on food waste and surplus, because they are currently exempt from segregated food waste collections under the rural exemption of the Waste (Scotland) Regulations[43]. Businesses would therefore need to implement a system for measuring their food waste, for example via representative sampling. However, this will apply to businesses in other parts of the country covered by the rural exemption, so is not unique to an island setting. Mandatory reporting and any changes to the existing rural food waste exemption would be subject to an ICIA when being developed with stakeholders and as any secondary legislation is designed and implemented.
Embed circular construction practices:
57. Consideration should be given to the availability and affordability of transport which may lead to higher costs of construction on islands. Island transport logistics, and economies of scale will also have an impact on the viability and accessibility of regional reuse hubs for construction material and assets – this will require detailed analysis in intervention research and development. The potential for building refurbishment may also be restricted by island logistics and would necessitate further investigation and analysis as part of intervention development.
58. In addition, island communities may have potential issues with regards to supply chain and skills, with more limited access to sustainable construction products and services, reduced ability to follow demolition, screen, reprocessing and reuse of the resulting materials, and more limited availability and supply of workers. This was highlighted specifically in the Heat in Buildings Strategy ICIA[44] but may impact other supply chains and skills in the construction sector. However, measures that promote circular construction practices could bring benefit to island communities in the form of potential for unique business approaches and possible skills development and job creation.
B. Modernise recycling
Modernise household recycling and reuse services, improving and optimising performance:
59. Work undertaken for previous screening assessments under the Islands (Scotland) Act has identified that island authorities often face higher costs per capita in collecting, transporting and disposing of waste and recycling[45]. This is, in part, due to the rural nature of collections meaning they are less efficient because of factors such as longer distances, ferry journeys, inaccessible properties and low payloads. The Scottish Government Urban / Rural Classification,[46] highlights that the majority of the island authorities have high proportions of their populations in very remote small towns and rural areas. Some islands do not have a kerbside recycling service at present for this reason. Additional costs are incurred as waste and recycling must often be transported off island for processing due to the limited number of operational landfill sites and other disposal facilities located on islands.
60. People living in island communities may face additional barriers to responsibly disposing of and recycling their waste due to the lack of facilities – this includes waste from a number of sources, including households, commercial properties and construction and demolition sites. Smaller local authorities, with less waste to market, may have greater difficulty negotiating with the private sector to invest in and establish new facilities. It is also more difficult for island communities to work with neighbouring authorities and to share costs of these developments through waste partnerships.
61. Some waste partnerships have been successfully developed by smaller authorities particularly for treatment and disposal in mainland Scotland and in the rest of the UK. For example, Orkney Islands Council's residual waste is shipped to Shetland and constitutes a significant percentage of the feedstock required for the council owned and operated Energy from Waste (EfW) facility in Lerwick.
62. The pooling of residual waste and recycling tonnages to create economies of scale and support viable operational facilities is easier on the Scottish mainland. The complexities of Island waste collection logistics have been set out in the recently published EPR in Scottish Highlands and Islands - Summary Report[47].
63. When developing interventions that will address issues with household recycling, such as local performance targets, reviewing waste and recycling service charges, or an updated statutory Code of Practice, it will be essential that the design processes account for island communities and to ensure equity in access to services across all areas – with options appraisals undertaken for adopting alternative high performance collection systems if required. This will be possible as these interventions are developed and will require focused ICIAs which should include the differing impacts for different island communities[48], how changes in waste produced may be impacted by transportation issues such as cost, but also disruption of ferry services due to high numbers of tourists or poor weather for example. Any co-design processes will also necessarily include representation from island communities.
64. The Return and Recycle Orkney pilot initiative is an example of how issues specific to island communities can be understood when implementing policies relating to household recycling[49]. It was set up to gather information on the use of reverse vending machines on an island location, to understand location-specific complexities, provide insights to inform the development of a deposit return scheme in Scottish island locations and provide operational insight to stakeholders involved in the logistics and day-to-day operations. It also assisted with general learning regarding the operation of a Voluntary Return Point, and wider operational and logistical learning.
Support commercial organisations in Scotland to reduce waste and maximise recycling:
65. It is a common theme of ICIAs that there are unique challenges for island communities regarding the availability and affordability of transport – and the lack of economies of scale and competition[50] [51] [52]. There are higher costs of transportation and less efficient logistics (e.g. payloads in vehicles) when covering a low-density population often covering multiple islands. This may make it harder for commercial organisations on islands to distribute their resources and collect recycling.
66. While market measure actions may be more limited due to the costs, infrastructure, distance travelled and feasibility on islands, consideration should be given to the challenges island businesses face during the development of measures as well as the unique opportunities and service set-ups that might benefit island communities. Measures to improve commercial waste service provisions can explore these issues in greater detail, for example via co-design with island-based businesses and commercial organisations, and commercial waste service providers, and assess any disproportionate impact on island communities.
67. Interventions within this objective to undertake a national waste composition analysis from commercial premises and review commercial compliance will also serve to highlight and understand barriers and challenges for island communities in reducing waste arising and improving recycling.
C. Decarbonise disposal
68. Impacts associated with costs of disposal are likely to vary between islands. Some islands have local access to a landfill or other residual waste treatment facility, while all other waste must often be transported off island for processing - often by ferry. This limits the facilities that are available to island communities as is shown by SEPA's Landfill Sector Plan[53] which identifies the locations of operational landfill sites in Scotland (see figure 2 below). The complexities of Island waste disposal logistics have been set out in the recently published EPR in Scottish Highlands and Islands - Summary Report[54].
69. A ban on biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill from 31 December 2025[55], will require support for local authorities to prepare and secure contracts that comply with the landfill ban, including island authorities. Similarly, islands authorities will require assistance to follow the findings of the independent review of incineration[56]. The report stated that in terms of managing residual waste, incineration was currently preferable to landfill - noting that it is particularly problematic for some of the more remote or rural areas of Scotland to gain access to these facilities. It also made clear recommendations around capacity and decarbonisation of energy from waste.
70. Increased recycling rates or changes to segregation of waste, potentially as a result of the new Residual Waste Plan to 2045 (CEWRM priority action), may result in a different amount of space required on ferries and more complex disposal logistics. This impacts the costs associated with transport, particularly when multiple ferry journeys are required before waste arrives at its destination.
71. More limited options for disposal routes on islands has resulted in some communities taking decisions that may require upfront investment but ultimately limit additional costs - for example creation of energy from waste facilities on Shetland. This investment was also highly successful in diversion from landfill while providing heat to a local energy network.
72. Implementing measures further up the waste hierarchy to divert waste away from landfill, and energy from waste, may face specific challenges due to the operational viability of existing facilities. Also increased transport costs and complex logistics – for example, for some materials, there are limited times that they are allowed on the ferries due to odour (or perceived odour) affecting other passengers. However, benefits can also be seen in terms of new income streams for high value and clean recyclable material or reduced landfill operation costs - or delaying the need to build new landfill cells.
73. The impact of the inclusion of energy from waste in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme on island local authorities is also recognised as potentially having a disproportionate effect owing to disposal costs already being higher than for most mainland counterparts. However, there is also potential in these areas to improve recycling capture and increase income from recycling streams when diverting high carbon material away from incineration.
74. Transportation logistics can be particularly challenging for difficult to recycle materials such as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) collections, end-of-life vehicles and construction materials. Recycling of farm plastics, for example, has two voluntary collection schemes and several waste collectors that will collect this material for processing; however, storage, preparation for transportation, potentially low value of the material and high shipping costs can be prohibitively expensive in certain cases.
D. Strengthen the circular economy
75. Islands face specific challenges that could make circular economy targets more challenging to reach. For example, reliance on types of transportation, importing goods and materials – as well as recycling targets.
76. This strategic aim incorporates skills, education and training and will be an avenue to highlight and create opportunities in island communities in the form of new jobs within the circular economy, underpinned by just transition principles. There is potential to stimulate local job markets and local economies in island communities as CEWRM interventions are developed and implemented.
77. Procurement costs for island communities differ from the mainland, and costs can be higher purchasing equivalent products and services for a variety of reasons. Circular procurement practices have the potential to offer positive impacts in islands communities by offering a route to affordable, potentially refurbished high quality products. There may even be potential for procurement practices to encourage the growth of local circular solutions such as refurbishment and repair within island communities.
Contact
Email: CERouteMap@gov.scot
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