LAWR

SCOTLAND Scotland prepares for new waste regulations Iain Gulland provides an update on what the new rules mean for local authorities. T he time has come for businesses and organisations across Scotland - from small family run enterprises to large public sector bodies - to ensure they are 100% ready for the new Waste (Scotland) Regulations (Introduced on January 1 2014). As producers and collectors of waste, local authorities will be at the leading edge of implementing the new regulations. They will be the main gatekeepers of advice and information so it is essential that key staff are able to provide advice on the ground and through the main communications platforms, such as websites. With household recycling rates already increasing from less than 5% to over 40% in the past decade, the contribution local authorities have already made to working towards our zero waste targets is commendable. Over a million households in Scotland now have access to a food waste collection – again a success to be celebrated. We've already committed over £20 million since 2010 to help roll these collections out, and we'll continue to support this going forward, ensuring that food waste services are introduced in line with best practice. The new regulations will further drive this increase however, with a minimum recycling service being made available to all. Local authorities will of course be required to provide this service, but those who go beyond compliance are most likely to reap the benefits of the regulations – a rich supply of quality 8 Local Authority Waste & Recycling January 2014 materials which can be recycled again and again. Zero Waste Scotland is on hand to provide the support necessary to achieve this, offering technical and communications guidance. Our focus is making sure that all organisations, including our public sector partners, get prepared in advance of the regulations coming into effect. Zero Waste Scotland is helping businesses and organisations from all over the country to ensure that they have the strategies and plans in place to be legally compliant with the new regulations and are able to separate the designated key recyclable materials –- paper, card, plastic, metals and glass - for collection for recycling. Most food businesses will need to present food waste for collection too. Any food business which produces over 50kg of food waste per week must present it for separate collection from January 1 2014. That requirement to separate food waste for collection will extend to all food businesses producing over 5kg of food waste per week from January 1 2016. Food businesses in rural areas are exempt from the food waste requirements of the Regulations and a postcode search tool at www. zerowastescotland.org.uk/regulations allows businesses to determine whether they are defined as rural in the context of these regulations. With an ambitious target set by the Scottish Government of 70% recycling and just 5% of waste going to landfill by 2025, we are working alongside waste and resource management companies across the country to prepare them for the implementation of these groundbreaking regulations. At Zero Waste Scotland we have delivered a range of support for businesses and local authorities. Organisations can source free, specialist support at Resource Efficient Scotland - a central hub for specialist advice to business on energy, water and raw materials being delivered on behalf of The Scottish Government by Zero Waste Scotland. A wide range of online resources can be found at www. resourceefficientscotland.com/ regulations including a Business Resource Directory covering waste contractors, re-use and recycling services in regional areas across Scotland while a poster creator provides practical solutions to bin labelling and staff engagement. We have worked hard with local authorities both directly and through Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) to help them get ready for the changes. Many businesses will be looking to councils for information and guidance. It is essential that collection staff are familiar with the Regulations and also with any new local collections planned. With this in mind local authorities can apply for funding from the Local Recycling Community

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