Cross-border rubbish to be discussed
Cumberland Council to meet on plans to bring Scots waste to England
The issue of the potential transfer of up to 600,000 tons of rubbish a year to England across the border from Scotland will be raised in Carlisle this week.
Members of Cumberland Council are due to meet at the Civic Centre tomorrow (Tuesday July 8) where councillor Roger Dobson (Corby and Hayton, Lib Dems) will get the chance to quiz a senior councillor.
He will ask councillor Denise Rollo (Harrington, Labour): “Could Cllr Rollo, the portfolio holder for sustainable, resilient and connected places, inform members how much waste from Scotland is expected to be taken by landfills in Cumberland, including landfills operated by private operators?”
Last week it was reported that the ruling SNP Government was “scrambling” to stop up to 100 truckloads of rubbish a day being moved from Scotland to England.
It follows their ban on “black bag” waste being dumped at landfills could lead to 600,000 tons of rubbish a year being transported over the border because Scotland does not have enough incinerators to handle it all.
However, John Swinney, Scotland’s First Minister, said the situation was “not acceptable” and added that there were several options which were being explored to avoid it from happening.
He refused to rule out a further delay to the law which would ban non-recyclable waste, wood, textiles, paper and food from landfill. It was initially set to be enforced in 2021 but was put back to the end of this year.
Speaking during First Minister’s Questions Mr Swinney said: “I do not think that it is acceptable for a large amount of waste to be transported from Scotland to England. The landfill ban will be a significant step in reducing methane emissions in Scotland.
“Methane is a greenhouse gas that is around 28 times more potent in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period. Preparations have already been made for the ban coming into force and the vast majority of councils have solutions in place.”