Lesley Riddoch: Rubbish reaction to remunerative waste

It’s Scotland’s rubbish. Not a catchy slogan – though our bins may be as productive as the oil-rich pockets of the North Sea. Recent reports suggest £2 million is thrown daily into landfill or burned in Britain, and the value is rising.

Until now, Scots have tended to lump rubbish together, stick it in landfill and ignore the fact methane escaping from these dumps is 20 times more climate-changing than carbon dioxide.

Hence the Scottish Government’s ambitious waste-reduction targets. From 2014, recyclable material (like aluminium, glass and cardboard) will be banned from landfill sites; food businesses must separate organic waste (hospitals and small business producers have until 2016); and councils must offer a food-waste collection service. In 2021, organic waste will also be banned from landfill.

Great – in theory. But three big questions remain: why won’t more Scots separate rubbish; will the public purse benefit and where will the un-recyclable residue end up? Until now, government hoped that a landfill tax – rising by £8 per tonne per annum – will prompt recycling council-tax payers to sort out recalcitrant neighbours. They haven’t.

Since 80 per cent of rubbish has a commercial value, government also hoped cash-strapped councils would pounce on recycling as a valuable new income stream. Instead, many local authorities have simply been firefighting angry public protests.

Last week, residents of two Edinburgh housing estates dumped rubbish bags outside council offices to protest against overflowing “general waste” bins following the switch from weekly to fortnightly collections. It’s not a pretty sight – but people rapidly get the message.