9 minute read
Climate impact of waste
How can councils tackle the carbon impact of waste?
Kim Pratt, Circular Economy Campaigner
Advertisement
Scotland, like many countries, measures its progress on waste with weight-based targets. This means all of Scotland’s waste is weighed and these measurements are used to calculate our recycling and landfill rates.
However, there is a problem with this approach – the easiest way for a council or business to increase its recycling rate is to concentrate on the heaviest materials, like bricks, concrete and soil. Lighter materials, such as textiles and plastics, can be overlooked even though they are more significant in environmental terms (see graph). If we want our waste systems to be more sustainable, a carbon-based target would be a better approach.
Carbon impact of different types of waste
Textiles Non-ferrous metals (e.g. aluminium) Batteries Food waste Plastic Ferrous metals (e.g. steel) Glass Paper and card Construction material Soils
0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 Carbon impact of waste generation (kgCO2e per t)
Where Scotland differs to other countries is that it has already pioneered a carbon-based measurement for waste which does exactly this. Since 2011, Zero Waste Scotland has calculated the carbon impact of Scotland’s waste using the Carbon Metric. This tool measures the whole-life carbon impacts of waste, from resource extraction and manufacturing emissions, right through to waste management emissions, regardless of where in the world these impacts occur. It is important to consider emissions across the whole life of materials, not just those which occur in Scotland, because about 50% of our goods and services are imported. The greatest benefit of recycling often comes from reducing the demand for resource extraction to make new products. By measuring and understanding the whole life carbon impacts of materials, the Carbon Metric allows decision makers to make more informed choices about how to reduce these impacts, wherever they occur. Scotland’s Carbon Metric shows that the carbon in our household waste is concentrated in just three key materials. Food waste, textiles and plastics hold 74% of the carbon impact of Scottish household waste. By weight, these wastes make up only 31% of household waste. So Scotland could dramatically cut the carbon emissions of our waste by concentrating recycling and prevention efforts more on these three materials. The current situation shows we are not doing enough. The latest Carbon Metric report from Zero Waste Scotland showed that in 2020, there was an increase in the amount of household food, textiles and plastics waste being generated and sent to incineration. The total carbon emissions from household waste rose 3.2% from 2019 to 2020 – up to 5.8 million tonnes of greenhouse gases.
Councils are in charge of designing and providing waste collection systems for households and therefore have a key role to play in reducing the carbon impact of household waste. The graph below shows there are considerable differences in the carbon footprint of waste between councils when we look at the figures per person. If every council performed as well as the best performing council, Angus, over a million tonnes of greenhouse gases would be saved. But all local authorities can, and must, go even further.
The carbon footprint of waste by Scottish local authority, in 2020
p e r s o n ) p e r ( k g C O 2 e w a s t e o f i m p a c t C a r b o n
1.60 1.40 1.20 1.00 0.80 0.60 0.40 0.20 0.00
A n g u s I s l a n d s O r k n e y M o r a y R e n f r e w s h i r e E a s t A y r s h i r e N o r t h E d i n b u r g h o f C i t y C i t y A b e r d e e n F i f e
From SEPA (2022) I n v e r c ly d e C i t y D u n d e e R e n f r e w s h i r e K i n r o s s a n d P e r t h B o r d e r s S c o t t i s h L o t h i a n E a s t S t i r l i n g F a l k i r k A y r s h i r e S o u t h M i d l o t h i a n a v e r a g e S c o t l a n d L a n a r k s h i r e N o r t h C l a c k m a n n a n s h i r e A y r s h i r e E a s t L o t h i a n W e s t D u n b a r t o n s h i r e E a s t L a n a r k s h i r e S o u t h A b e r d e e n s h i r e I s l a n d s S h e t l a n d H ig h l a n d C i t y G l a s g o w G a l l o w a y a n d D u m f r i e s D u n b a r t o n s h i r e W e s t S i a r h E i l e a n a n N a B u t e a n d A r g yl l
Andy Dick, Get to Zero Manager at East Renfrewshire Council, said: “Achieving net zero is going to require new ways of looking at data. We know that the Carbon Metric draws a spotlight on textiles and food waste, recognising the global impact these waste streams have on our climate. Focusing efforts on these high-impact materials will help many councils in the years ahead as we consider how waste fits into the wider goal of achieving net zero. ” In 2021, the Scottish Government created a £70m recycling improvement fund to transform Scotland’s recycling infrastructure. Around £20m has been awarded to 16 projects across various councils already. These have included projects to redesign collection systems and efficiency improvements for bin lorries. Future change should be focused on those projects and materials which are most likely to reduce the carbon impact of waste.
Ramy Salemdeeb, Environmental Analyst at Zero Waste Scotland said “The Carbon Metric has been instrumental in improving our understanding of the role of waste in warming our planet. The tool has also helped us to introduce measures that are tailored to target carbon-intensive materials such as the food waste reduction target and the £2 million textile innovation fund.
“Scottish cities should not aim to increase recycling rates only when designing waste strategies, but also decarbonise the waste sector and contribute to Scotland’s ambition to be a net-zero nation by 2045. ” The decisions made today will affect whether we reach our climate goals in the future. For those involved in decision making on waste and recycling, the way forwards is clear: councils, businesses and waste management organisations, should be encouraged to focus on food, textile and plastic waste through funding opportunities, like the Scottish Government’s improvement funds. Recycling food waste should be the default disposal option for all households and businesses. Separate collections of textiles for households would increase recycling of this waste stream. Scotland has already committed to a deposit return scheme for bottles which should increase plastic recycling dramatically – similar solutions, which focus on increasing producer responsibility, are needed for other plastic waste items. At Friends of the Earth Scotland, we will continue to push towards these goals as an important part of creating a circular economy in Scotland.
Pollution in Scotland rebounds to illegal levels
By Gavin Thomson, Transport Campaigner
Scotland breached legal air quality limits in 2021 after a historic low in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Hope Street in Glasgow recorded an annual average above the legal limit for diesel pollution, while many streets across Scotland saw pollution spike back up despite COVID-19 restrictions like working from home continuing through the year and the country being in lockdown for the first few months. From the evidence we have, virtually every street in Scotland experienced higher levels of pollution in 2021 than the previous year. We analysed official air pollution data looking at two toxic pollutants which are primarily produced by transport. Legal air quality standards came into force in 2010, yet have been broken every single year since except 2020. As traffic levels increased through 2021, air pollution rose correspondingly. While Hope Street in Glasgow once again breached legal air quality limits for nitrogen dioxide, other streets such as Salamander Street in Edinburgh and Atholl Street in Perth experienced increases in particulate pollution.
Most polluted streets for nitrogen dioxide
Location
Glasgow Hope Street Dundee Lochee Road Falkirk West Bridge Street Perth Atholl Street Dundee Seagate Edinburgh Queensferry Road Nitrogen Dioxide annual mean (µg/m3) 45.41 31.84 31.21 31.07 30.13 29.62
Most polluted streets for particulate matter
Location
Edinburgh Salamander Street Perth Atholl Street Glasgow Kerbside Fife Cupar Aberdeen Wellington Road PM10 annual mean (µg/m3)
15.43 14 13.13 12.95 12.31
Nitrogen dioxide is a poisonous gas caused by burning fossil fuels in car engines. Exposure to nitrogen dioxide is linked to health problems because breathing it in inflames the lining of our lungs and reduces immunity to lung infections such as bronchitis. Particulate matter are tiny, often invisible particles in the air. Particles originating from road traffic include soot from engines, small bits of metal and rubber from engine wear and braking as well as dust from road surfaces. They can penetrate the deepest part of the lungs and damage our health, so the World Health Organisation advises that there is no safe level of exposure to particulate matter. Governments and councils haven’t done enough to reduce car traffic. The temporary improvements in air quality in 2020 arrived as a side effect of an enormous devastation to our communities and societies. There was no intention or concerted political action to reduce emissions, which is why the falls were not maintained when restriction eased. Air pollution from transport is responsible for thousands of premature deaths in Scotland every year, and causes serious heart and lung issues. The growing evidence base showing the links between air pollution and vulnerability to COVID-19 is only the latest reason why we have to act to protect public health, so 2021 should have been a year of definitive action to tackle it. We need a just transition for transport, including taking control of our public transport to run comprehensive services that serve passengers not profit, and more options for safe walking and cycling, to improve the air we breathe permanently.
