Circular Economy Regulation Developments
A presentation will be given to the Agency Board on 24 September 2024, to:
- outline the challenge of a materials intensive economy
- highlight SEPA’s role in helping Scotland transition to a circular economy
- outline key areas of Scottish Government legislative change and policy future direction
- highlight future developments for SEPA in circular economy regulation.
Given the broad subject range of this short presentation, the Agency Board will be asked:
- do you have the information you need to understand SEPA’s regulatory role?
- are there any developments in circular economy regulation that you would like to hear more about at a future information session?
- Joanna Zwitserlood, Head of Energy, Industry and Materials
- Gary Walker, Waste and Landfill Tax Senior Manager
- Janet Wade, National Waste Unit Manager
- Andrew Sullivan, Principal Policy Officer.
Lin Bunten, Chief Operating Officer Regulation Business and Environment.
Date: 17 September 2024.
1. Introduction
1.1. Scotland’s transition to a Circular Economy is a priority for Scottish Government and fundamental to its net zero ambitions.
1.2. Since inception, SEPA has been at the forefront of influencing circular economy and waste management policy, legislation, and implementation.
1.3. A presentation will be provided to the Agency Board on 24 September 2024, to:
- outline the challenge of a materials intensive economy
- highlight SEPA’s role in helping Scotland transition to a circular economy
- outline key areas of Scottish Government legislative change and policy future direction
- highlight future developments for SEPA in circular economy regulation.
2. Background
Circular Economy
2.1. Everything we do, everything we buy, and everything we use has an impact on our planet. In fact, around 80% of Scotland’s carbon footprint comes from products and services we manufacture, use and throw away – the materials we consume.
2.2. Scotland has a material-intensive economy. Scotland’s raw material consumption per capita, also known as a material footprint, is 19.3 tonnes, double the world average. Put simply, we consume far too much and that is contributing to the climate crisis.
2.3. SEPA views the Circular Economy as a game-changing opportunity to:
- manage resources within planetary limits
- meet Scotland’s climate change targets and ambitions
- create new industries and economic opportunities
- reduce the harms associated with waste management.
2.4. There has never been more interest in this area – Government has shown their ambition via the Circular Economy Act 2024 with legislation, business models and public behaviours continuing to change in the coming years.
2.5. Transitioning to a circular economy requires a whole-societal shift with many players having a critical role to play across the system.
2.6. SEPA continues to ‘play our part in helping Scotland to transition to a circular economy, and ensures that the management of waste does not cause harm to the environment or communities’ (Our Corporate Plan 2024 to 2027).
2025 Targets
2.7. The Scottish Government set national targets on waste and recycling in their 2010 strategy document; Making Things Last: A Circular Economy Strategy for Scotland:
- reduce total waste arisings in Scotland by 15% against 2011 levels
- reduce food waste by 33% against 2013 levels
- minimum of 60% recycling of household waste by 2020
- minimum of 70% recycling of all waste by 2024
- maximum of 5% of all waste sent to landfill by 2025.
2.8. The 70% recycling target recognises there will, for the foreseeable future, be waste which cannot be recycled and will require some other form of recovery or disposal. Some of this waste is the residual (or black bag) waste collected from homes and businesses across Scotland. The 5% landfill target was intended to drive the management of non-recyclable waste further up the waste hierarchy away from landfilling and towards recovery operations such as energy form waste, although it is not specific.
2.9. These are non-statutory targets, specific to Scotland and set by Scottish Government. They are not distributed to other organisations to deliver, but rather everyone; individuals, businesses, Local Authorities, SEPA, Zero Waste Scotland to work together, with Scottish Government who are ultimately responsible for attainment.
Scottish Government: priorities to 2025 and beyond
2.10. In response to plateauing recycling rates and a drive towards an approach more closely linked to Circular Economy aims rather than tonnage-based targets, the Scottish Government is consulting on a new Circular Economy and Waste Route map to accelerate progress, and the parliament recently passed the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024.
These will ultimately reset the national policy and target landscape and may result in new duties for SEPA as Government policies come forward to drive progress towards a circular economy.
SEPA's role
2.11. SEPA has a range of roles within the transition to a circular economy – working in partnership with industries to make the best use of their resources; permitting waste management activities to prevent environmental harm (e.g. from incineration or landfill); enforcing the Duty of Care for waste (including the separation of waste for recycling); administering the producer responsibility schemes for packaging, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and batteries; regulating the international import and export of waste and materials for recycling; and tackling waste crime.
2.12. SEPA is also the data authority and is responsible for collecting, analysing, and publishing waste data and reporting against targets.
2.13. SEPA continues to contribute to the delivery of targets through our regulatory role and through our work across sectors to reduce waste and recycle more.
Four major interventions in which SEPA will play a significant and ongoing role, are:
- extended producer responsibility for packaging (UK)
- ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste (Scotland)
- Digital Waste Tracking (UK)
- expanding the scope of the Emissions Trading Scheme to include waste incineration (UK).
Recommendations
3.1. Given the broad subject range of this short presentation, the Agency Board will be asked:
3.1.1. Do you have the information you need to understand SEPA’s role within the circular economy?
3.1.2. Are there any developments in circular economy regulation that you would like to hear more about at a future information session?