Scotland
Scotland Country summary Scotland's environmental issues are overseen by a separate agency: the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA). This body has taken on the combined responsibilities of Scotland's district and islands councils for waste regulation and air pollution control, as well as those of Her Majesty's Industrial Pollution Inspectorate and the former river purification boards. While solid waste statistics are comprehensive, those for liquid and gaseous wastes are not. The consolidation of authority into SEPA should address this issue in the future. SEPA has discovered unexpectedly that it failed to provision for VAT in its budgets. In consequence it faces budgetary restraints and has suggested that it may have to scale down its operations in the initial year of operation. It is working to develop parallel documents to those produced by the Environment Agency of England and Wales. There is abundant landfill capacity in Scotland from very large quarries developed for rock abstraction virtually all of which are ideal from the point of view of site engineering purposes for landfill use. Most Scottish waste remains in Scotland recycling, treatment or disposal. The country is virtually self sufficient. Arisings Aberdeen Highlands
data is reasonably accurate, the only waste leaving Scotland comprising special waste amounting to 2% of total arisings. Disposal gate fees are the lowest in the UK, typically in the region of £5 to £8 per tonne excluding tax. Strathclyde has the
Tayside
highest concentration of per capita arisings and incinerator/energy from waste facilities have recently been closed down due to non compliance with EC emission
Glasgow
Edinburgh
standards resulting in virtually 100% reliance on landfill. Producer Responsibility may become a key issue in Scotland – specifically with reference to the thriving
Borders
electronics sector in silicon glen. In terms of water supply, Scotland also has an abundance – both in volume and quality. This is a key element in attracting inbound industrial investment. Supplies of water are likely to be enhanced if the predictions of global warming experts are also confirmed – that there will be an upward shift in volumes of rainwater deposition in the north of the country as the south westerly streams move northwards. There is thus unlikely to be a long term strategic shortage in this area. Relatively small volumes of gaseous waste emissions are reported although
COUNTR Y STATISTICS
the historic dependence on landfill has produced a regional peak in terms of
SOLID W ASTE DISPOSAL S 13.4 million tonnes LANDFILL CAP ACITY 5 years +
SOLID W ASTE ARISINGS 13.5 million tonnes
EMISSIONS TO AIR 15.4 million tonnes CRI emissions = 1.9 million C02 emissions = 13.5 million
RAINFALL 12,450 million tonnes
WATER ABSTRACTED No data available
methane and hydrocarbon emissions. CO 2 emissions are the second lowest of all UK regions but one key issue area is that Scotland does not have a chemical release inventory and there are no comparable records of unauthorised releases of pollutants for the country.
Industry attitudes Biffa findings from "Waste: A Game of Snakes and Ladders?" indicated that Scottish industry spends the least amount of money on waste management, yet along with the North West and North East, it is most likely (39%) to think that waste control is a major factor in terms of competitive edge. Compared with an average of 25% of companies, Scotland leads the way (39%) in monitoring the waste practices of competitors.
1
Country audit Solid waste issues Waste arisings Total arisings for the region on which there is certainty are quoted at 13.5 million tonnes based on a sample base of 5 million (100% of the country's population). Figure 1 illustrates the percentage split by waste stream for the total waste arisings for the country estimated at 13.5 million tonnes. This figure represents 8.8% of the total estimated tonnage for Great Britain. 98.5% of the total controlled waste arisings in 1993 remained in Scotland NB: The figures on these pages are subject to the qualifications of our auditors.
for recycling, treatment or disposal, demonstrating the country's virtual selfsufficiency.
Construction 47%
Special 1%
There is plenty of landfill capacity in Scotland from very large quarries developed for rock abstraction – virtually all of which are for site engineering purposes in terms of geological capability.
Waste disposals Figure 2 shows the percentage split by waste stream for the total waste disposals for the region estimated at 13.4 million tonnes, based on returns Industrial & Commercial 35%
Municipal 17%
for 100% of the population. Because of the country's self-sufficiency this figure is based on the total arisings published for each of the Scottish regions
Fig. 1 Scottish Waste Arisings
less the exported special wastes. The disposal gap for the region therefore
Total 13,482,120 tonnes
amounts to 0.03 million tonnes or 2% of the estimated total arisings. Variations are due to the net 'export' of 30,000 tonnes of special waste to appropriate treatment and disposal facilities in other parts of Britain.
Construction 48%
Municipal 17%
Scotland's complete data sets for arisings obviously provide excellent levels of accuracy. Even so, SEPA intends to improve matters further by collecting and publishing more detailed statistics (including landfill capacity) to assist in the creation of new waste management policies for Scotland. They suggest that, overall, the licensed capacity is sufficient for Scotland’s needs for the next 5 years.
Industrial & Commercial 35%
Special waste >0%
Fig. 2 Scottish Waste Disposals Total 13,433,560 tonnes
2
Solid waste issues
Landfill capacity Scotland has abundant landfill capacity (635 licensed or 'resolutioned' sites in 1993) with costs accordingly very low in comparison to other parts of the UK – typically in the region of £5 to £8 per tonne excluding tax. However, because the largest capacity classification, into which 366 sites fall, is so broad (the range is 75,000 m3 to 7,000,000 m 3), it is not feasible to calculate landfill capacity accurately in terms of years remaining, although SEPA suggests the overall licensed capacity is sufficient for the next five years or more.
head – the second lowest figure after
burning of liquid special fuels (LSF)
the South West. Disposals of 60,000
have also rendered it uneconomic to
tonnes indicate that Scotland is a net
transport such materials greater
exporter of special waste.
distances into Scotland.
Strathclyde has the highest special
Energy from waste
waste arisings ( just less than 60,000 tonnes) of all Scottish regions – three times greater than any other. The district is also responsible for more than half Scotland's total tonnage of special waste disposals. Lothian, meanwhile, is the only Scottish region which imports more special waste than it produces. Around 16,000 tonnes of asbestos and 2,900 tonnes of liquid special waste were landfilled in Scotland in 1993. Scotland has
The 70,000 tonnes per annum capacity Baldovie incinerator at Dundee shut down in December 1996 due to concern that it was failing to meet EC emission standards. These concerns had been expressed by various official and pressure groups for some time, resulting in proposals being put forward to convert the 19-year-old plant into a 120,000 tonne energy from waste facility.
seen the closure of a high
Special Waste Scotland produces a little more than 110,000 tonnes of special waste a year at an average of 0.02 tonnes per
13.4 million tonnes
temperature incineration plant for
This plan is currently (May 1997)
special and hazardous wastes due to
foundering due to lack of finance.
market conditions of supply and
There is little problem finding
demand and the enlargement of
alternative disposal routes for the
capacity in England. Trials with the
municipal arisings. However, the loss of the incinerator presents Scotland
Local Inputs 111,164 tonnes
with a significant shortage of clinical waste disposal capacity – 5,000 tonnes per annum was previously handled by the plant.
5 years or more Disposals 62,604 tonnes
Fig. 3 Landfill capacity
Fig. 4 Special waste arisings and disposals
3
Gaseous waste issues Sulphur Dioxide 14%
Emissions
PM10 1%
Figure 5 illustrates the total tonnage and respective percentages of the different
Oxides of Nitrogen 14%
Methane 36%
emissions to air (see note E1) in Scotland. Scotland is estimated to emit 7% of Great Britain's SO 2, 8% of its CO, 9% of its PM10, nmVOCs and NOx and 16% of its methane. This last figure is equal highest with the Midlands, though the reasons are different. Scotland's methane output is due to the country's large
NonMethane VOCs 11%
expanse of agricultural land, while the Midlands' output is due mainly to landfill. As Scotland does not have a Chemical Release Inventory, there are no records for TSP emissions from Part A industry (see note E2).
Carbon Monoxide 24%
Scotland is also estimated to emit 13.5 million tonnes of CO2 as carbon (see note
Fig. 5 CRI emissions to air (tonnes)
E3) – the second lowest amount of all the regions at 9% of the overall total of
Total 1,871,417
146.6 million tonnes. Figure 6 shows the total tonnage of emission by source and Figure 7 breaks down each source's total tonnage of emissions into its component parts.
Total combustion >50MW 6% Agriculture 19% Road Transport 30%
Unauthorised emissions Scotland does not have a Chemical Release Inventory and there are no
Domestic 3%
comparable records of unauthorised releases of pollutants for the country. In consequence this will be a key objective of SEPA as and when it has budgetary
Electricity Supply 1% Landfill 11% Other Sources 15%
resources to tackle this significant gap in data collection.
Environmental capacity Scotland has medium to low critical loads (see note E4) for acid deposition (see note E5) to soils (allowing for current agricultural management practices – see
Other Industry 15%
note E6) compared with the rest of Great Britain. Fig. 6 Sources of CRI emissions to air The country has a relatively high wet deposition rate (see note E7), which results
(tonnes) Total 1,871,417
in critical loads being exceeded in certain areas. Critical loads for fresh waters are also exceeded, particularly in areas of the north western Highlands. Deposition modelling indicates that even with the EC directive on SO2 (see note E8) in place, critical loads will still be exceeded in some small areas of Scotland. UNECE vegetation guidelines for SO 2 and NO2 (see note E9) were exceeded at urban monitoring sites in Scotland in 1994/5. Fig. 7 Sources of CRI emissions by
Environmental impact
component part Sector
CH 4
CO
nmVOC
NO x
Agriculture
359126
3565
–
972
PM10 324
SO 2 3241
TSP –
Total
Based on evidence gathered from
367,229
experimental and field studies, lake acidification at sites in Galloway has
Domestic
–
28482
4183
6409
3293
10058
–
52,425
Landfill
205638
–
–
–
–
–
–
205,638
Other Industry
1313
7180
37979
72876
13332
145828
–
278,509
Other Sources
107936
23526
94385
30732
1617
16933
–
275,130
Road Transport
2121
383204
64765
94863
5383
4812
–
555,148
Total combustion >50MW (tonnes)
–
–
–
52826
–
59821
–
112,647
Electricity supply industry (tonnes)
–
–
–
5760
–
18931
–
24,691
Part A industry
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Total
676,134
445,958
201,313
264,438
23,951
259,625
–
1,871,417
increased in pH value by 0.5, from 0.7 to 1.2 over the past 150 years. The rise is attributed to atmospheric pollution from industrial sources as, before the advent of large scale industry, lake flora was largely unaffected. Studies indicate that the rate of acidification increased markedly between 1930 and 1950.
4
Liquid waste issues Rainfall abstraction Global warming experts predict an upward shift in volumes of rain water deposited in Scotland against falling levels south of the border. Scotland is
The surplus of water supply in Scotland is a key element in attracting inbound industrial investment – particularly in the case of the electronics sectors.
Pollution Scotland recorded 181 'major' water pollution incidents (see note C6) in 1994 – the most for any region. Despite having the highest percentage
therefore not facing long term
(44%) of major incidents, Scotland
strategic shortages for water. The
(14%) trailed the North West (15%)
National Centre for Business and
in terms of its share of prosecutions.
Ecology estimates the total rainfall for
Industrial sources were responsible
Scotland to be 12,000 million tonnes
for 45% of the major incidents,
per year. Though no estimates exist
agriculture for 21% and other sources
for drought effective rainfall (see note
for the remaining 34%. Because
C1), Scotland is quite easily, and
Scotland does not record sewage
unsurprisingly, the wettest of all
pollution as a separate category, it is
regions. Rainfall quantities vary
difficult to make comparisons with
greatly in Scotland from as much as 3,500 mm per year in some areas, to less than 700 mm in others. Overall,
Top 10 discharges to water .
other regions on this issue.
Mine waters
No data available
No data available on water quality.
however, there is an abundance of rainfall and evaporation is low. There
Sea disposal
is very little data available on water abstraction in Scotland, though it is
With 72% (65,000 tonnes) of
known that 97% of the public water
Scotland's 90,000 annual tonnes of
supply is abstracted from surface
Agriculture 21%
sewage sludge being deposited at Other Sources 34%
sources (the country boasts more
sea, the country will be particularly
than 30,000 lochs) and the remaining
seriously affected by legislation
3% from ground water (see notes C2
banning this practice by 1998 (see
and C3). There are 560 public (and
note C7). The three main Scottish
therefore monitored) water
regions are adopting different
abstractions in Scotland but the large
strategies to deal with the issue. East
number of private abstractions is
Scotland will rely more on incineration, West Scotland on
currently unrecorded and unmonitored.
Industrial 45%
Fig. 8 Major pollution incidents
agricultural routes and land reclamation and North Scotland on agricultural routes alone.
Use of water by sector . No data available
5
Country notes Fig. 9 Claimed per capita controlled waste arisings (tonnes) Published
Pre-1997
Post-Oct 1996
Regional
National
Landfill Tax Data
Data
Data (nat. av.)
(See note A1)
Industrial/commercial
0.92
1.29
0.78
Construction/demolition
1.25
1.02
0.62
Domestic
0.44
0.46
0.28
Special
0.02
0.04
0.02
Total
2.63
2.81
1.7
Water Charges No data available
Discharges No data available
River length and water quality Data for river quality in Scotland is recorded differently to that in England and Wales. However, in 1990 the Department of the Environment stated that 98% of Scotland's 50,960 km river length fell into chemical categories a and b, with the remaining 2% being categorised as c or d. Scotland undoubtedly has the UK's best river quality overall.
Planning application for landfill sites Little data available.
Fig. 10 River length and
A & B 98%
water qualit y (chemical) C & D 2% Total river length 50,960 km
of operators under the Landfill Tax regulations with 273 sites open for
E & F 0% Key:
The region has 154 registered offices
business, owned by companies
A = Very Good
registered nationally. The majority
F = Bad
of sites are for inert waste only and some are for the exclusive use of
River length and w ater quality (biological). No data available.
6
the owners.
Resource management examples Good news
supply could be good news for
specialising in non-ferrous
Scotland. Spain and Portugal over-
recoverables for the electronics and
Best practice
pump acquifer sources and prices
electrical goods sector.
In 1993, Scottish Power established
reflecting true long term costs could
a set of environmental principles
make imports from west Scotland
governing energy and fuel efficiency.
(which has a 40% surplus) attractive.
districts reported that they had a
The Middle East is also being
designated recycling officer.
One policy established was the use of local Scottish coal with low SO2
targeted by west of Scotland water,
content. This has kept emissions
which is examining the feasibility of
from coal fired power stations
utilising sea tankers of up to 250,000
consistently below that of the UK
tonnes capacity. The European
average. In addition, Scottish Power
Directive is not expected to ‘bite’ for
is fitting low NO x burners to stations
at least 10 years however.
at Longannet and Cockenzie. It is also
Reclamation
By the end of 1993, 29 of Scotland's
Border Biofuel has opened a commercial woodchip gassification scheme producing power with a nonfossil fuel subsidy administered by ETSU (see note E10) Energy Power Resources are seeking
expanding its network of renewable
to develop a Poultry Litter energy
generation plants, with wind farms
In 1993, a little more than 500,000
planned in Ireland to add to those
tonnes of material was collected for
already in operation in Cornwall and
recycling in Scotland. Paper/board,
Lancashire.
ferrous metals, glass and cars
A European proposal to force
reported as recycled.
from a waste scheme in Fife.
accounted for 73.7% of all waste governments and water suppliers to charge the full economic and
In the south there is also an
environmental costs for clean water
electronics dismantling operation
Bad News Sector
Incident
Fine + Costs
Construction
River pollution
£15,000
Dairy farm
Silage effluent discharge into river
£500
Landfill leachate
Illegal discharge of effluent
£5,000
Sewage treatment
Non-compliance with conditions
£1,000
Sewage treatment
Non-compliance with conditions
£2,500
Farming
Slurry leak into water course
£500
Salmon processing
Toxic chemical discharge
£6,000
Water utility
Illegal discharge
£1,000
7
data is reasonably accurate, the only waste leaving Scotland comprising special waste amounting to 2% of total arisings. Disposal gate fees are the lowest in the UK, typically in the region of £5 to £8 per tonne excluding tax. Strathclyde has the
Tayside
highest concentration of per capita arisings and incinerator/energy from waste facilities have recently been closed down due to non compliance with EC emission
Glasgow
Edinburgh
standards resulting in virtually 100% reliance on landfill. Producer Responsibility may become a key issue in Scotland – specifically with reference to the thriving
Borders
electronics sector in silicon glen. In terms of water supply, Scotland also has an abundance – both in volume and quality. This is a key element in attracting inbound industrial investment. Supplies of water are likely to be enhanced if the predictions of global warming experts are also confirmed – that there will be an upward shift in volumes of rainwater deposition in the north of the country as the south westerly streams move northwards. There is thus unlikely to be a long term strategic shortage in this area. Relatively small volumes of gaseous waste emissions are reported although
COUNTR Y STATISTICS
the historic dependence on landfill has produced a regional peak in terms of
SOLID W ASTE DISPOSAL S 13.4 million tonnes LANDFILL CAP ACITY 5 years +
SOLID W ASTE ARISINGS 13.5 million tonnes
EMISSIONS TO AIR 15.4 million tonnes CRI emissions = 1.9 million C02 emissions = 13.5 million
RAINFALL 12,450 million tonnes
WATER ABSTRACTED No data available
methane and hydrocarbon emissions. CO 2 emissions are the second lowest of all UK regions but one key issue area is that Scotland does not have a chemical release inventory and there are no comparable records of unauthorised releases of pollutants for the country.
Industry attitudes Biffa findings from "Waste: A Game of Snakes and Ladders?" indicated that Scottish industry spends the least amount of money on waste management, yet along with the North West and North East, it is most likely (39%) to think that waste control is a major factor in terms of competitive edge. Compared with an average of 25% of companies, Scotland leads the way (39%) in monitoring the waste practices of competitors.
1
Country audit Solid waste issues Waste arisings Total arisings for the region on which there is certainty are quoted at 13.5 million tonnes based on a sample base of 5 million (100% of the country's population). Figure 1 illustrates the percentage split by waste stream for the total waste arisings for the country estimated at 13.5 million tonnes. This figure represents 8.8% of the total estimated tonnage for Great Britain. 98.5% of the total controlled waste arisings in 1993 remained in Scotland NB: The figures on these pages are subject to the qualifications of our auditors.
for recycling, treatment or disposal, demonstrating the country's virtual selfsufficiency.
Construction 47%
Special 1%
There is plenty of landfill capacity in Scotland from very large quarries developed for rock abstraction – virtually all of which are for site engineering purposes in terms of geological capability.
Waste disposals Figure 2 shows the percentage split by waste stream for the total waste disposals for the region estimated at 13.4 million tonnes, based on returns Industrial & Commercial 35%
Municipal 17%
for 100% of the population. Because of the country's self-sufficiency this figure is based on the total arisings published for each of the Scottish regions
Fig. 1 Scottish Waste Arisings
less the exported special wastes. The disposal gap for the region therefore
Total 13,482,120 tonnes
amounts to 0.03 million tonnes or 2% of the estimated total arisings. Variations are due to the net 'export' of 30,000 tonnes of special waste to appropriate treatment and disposal facilities in other parts of Britain.
Construction 48%
Municipal 17%
Scotland's complete data sets for arisings obviously provide excellent levels of accuracy. Even so, SEPA intends to improve matters further by collecting and publishing more detailed statistics (including landfill capacity) to assist in the creation of new waste management policies for Scotland. They suggest that, overall, the licensed capacity is sufficient for Scotland’s needs for the next 5 years.
Industrial & Commercial 35%
Special waste >0%
Fig. 2 Scottish Waste Disposals Total 13,433,560 tonnes
2
Solid waste issues
Landfill capacity Scotland has abundant landfill capacity (635 licensed or 'resolutioned' sites in 1993) with costs accordingly very low in comparison to other parts of the UK – typically in the region of £5 to £8 per tonne excluding tax. However, because the largest capacity classification, into which 366 sites fall, is so broad (the range is 75,000 m3 to 7,000,000 m 3), it is not feasible to calculate landfill capacity accurately in terms of years remaining, although SEPA suggests the overall licensed capacity is sufficient for the next five years or more.
head – the second lowest figure after
burning of liquid special fuels (LSF)
the South West. Disposals of 60,000
have also rendered it uneconomic to
tonnes indicate that Scotland is a net
transport such materials greater
exporter of special waste.
distances into Scotland.
Strathclyde has the highest special
Energy from waste
waste arisings ( just less than 60,000 tonnes) of all Scottish regions – three times greater than any other. The district is also responsible for more than half Scotland's total tonnage of special waste disposals. Lothian, meanwhile, is the only Scottish region which imports more special waste than it produces. Around 16,000 tonnes of asbestos and 2,900 tonnes of liquid special waste were landfilled in Scotland in 1993. Scotland has
The 70,000 tonnes per annum capacity Baldovie incinerator at Dundee shut down in December 1996 due to concern that it was failing to meet EC emission standards. These concerns had been expressed by various official and pressure groups for some time, resulting in proposals being put forward to convert the 19-year-old plant into a 120,000 tonne energy from waste facility.
seen the closure of a high
Special Waste Scotland produces a little more than 110,000 tonnes of special waste a year at an average of 0.02 tonnes per
13.4 million tonnes
temperature incineration plant for
This plan is currently (May 1997)
special and hazardous wastes due to
foundering due to lack of finance.
market conditions of supply and
There is little problem finding
demand and the enlargement of
alternative disposal routes for the
capacity in England. Trials with the
municipal arisings. However, the loss of the incinerator presents Scotland
Local Inputs 111,164 tonnes
with a significant shortage of clinical waste disposal capacity – 5,000 tonnes per annum was previously handled by the plant.
5 years or more Disposals 62,604 tonnes
Fig. 3 Landfill capacity
Fig. 4 Special waste arisings and disposals
3
Gaseous waste issues Sulphur Dioxide 14%
Emissions
PM10 1%
Figure 5 illustrates the total tonnage and respective percentages of the different
Oxides of Nitrogen 14%
Methane 36%
emissions to air (see note E1) in Scotland. Scotland is estimated to emit 7% of Great Britain's SO 2, 8% of its CO, 9% of its PM10, nmVOCs and NOx and 16% of its methane. This last figure is equal highest with the Midlands, though the reasons are different. Scotland's methane output is due to the country's large
NonMethane VOCs 11%
expanse of agricultural land, while the Midlands' output is due mainly to landfill. As Scotland does not have a Chemical Release Inventory, there are no records for TSP emissions from Part A industry (see note E2).
Carbon Monoxide 24%
Scotland is also estimated to emit 13.5 million tonnes of CO2 as carbon (see note
Fig. 5 CRI emissions to air (tonnes)
E3) – the second lowest amount of all the regions at 9% of the overall total of
Total 1,871,417
146.6 million tonnes. Figure 6 shows the total tonnage of emission by source and Figure 7 breaks down each source's total tonnage of emissions into its component parts.
Total combustion >50MW 6% Agriculture 19% Road Transport 30%
Unauthorised emissions Scotland does not have a Chemical Release Inventory and there are no
Domestic 3%
comparable records of unauthorised releases of pollutants for the country. In consequence this will be a key objective of SEPA as and when it has budgetary
Electricity Supply 1% Landfill 11% Other Sources 15%
resources to tackle this significant gap in data collection.
Environmental capacity Scotland has medium to low critical loads (see note E4) for acid deposition (see note E5) to soils (allowing for current agricultural management practices – see
Other Industry 15%
note E6) compared with the rest of Great Britain. Fig. 6 Sources of CRI emissions to air The country has a relatively high wet deposition rate (see note E7), which results
(tonnes) Total 1,871,417
in critical loads being exceeded in certain areas. Critical loads for fresh waters are also exceeded, particularly in areas of the north western Highlands. Deposition modelling indicates that even with the EC directive on SO2 (see note E8) in place, critical loads will still be exceeded in some small areas of Scotland. UNECE vegetation guidelines for SO 2 and NO2 (see note E9) were exceeded at urban monitoring sites in Scotland in 1994/5. Fig. 7 Sources of CRI emissions by
Environmental impact
component part Sector
CH 4
CO
nmVOC
NO x
Agriculture
359126
3565
–
972
PM10 324
SO 2 3241
TSP –
Total
Based on evidence gathered from
367,229
experimental and field studies, lake acidification at sites in Galloway has
Domestic
–
28482
4183
6409
3293
10058
–
52,425
Landfill
205638
–
–
–
–
–
–
205,638
Other Industry
1313
7180
37979
72876
13332
145828
–
278,509
Other Sources
107936
23526
94385
30732
1617
16933
–
275,130
Road Transport
2121
383204
64765
94863
5383
4812
–
555,148
Total combustion >50MW (tonnes)
–
–
–
52826
–
59821
–
112,647
Electricity supply industry (tonnes)
–
–
–
5760
–
18931
–
24,691
Part A industry
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Total
676,134
445,958
201,313
264,438
23,951
259,625
–
1,871,417
increased in pH value by 0.5, from 0.7 to 1.2 over the past 150 years. The rise is attributed to atmospheric pollution from industrial sources as, before the advent of large scale industry, lake flora was largely unaffected. Studies indicate that the rate of acidification increased markedly between 1930 and 1950.
4
Liquid waste issues Rainfall abstraction Global warming experts predict an upward shift in volumes of rain water deposited in Scotland against falling levels south of the border. Scotland is
The surplus of water supply in Scotland is a key element in attracting inbound industrial investment – particularly in the case of the electronics sectors.
Pollution Scotland recorded 181 'major' water pollution incidents (see note C6) in 1994 – the most for any region. Despite having the highest percentage
therefore not facing long term
(44%) of major incidents, Scotland
strategic shortages for water. The
(14%) trailed the North West (15%)
National Centre for Business and
in terms of its share of prosecutions.
Ecology estimates the total rainfall for
Industrial sources were responsible
Scotland to be 12,000 million tonnes
for 45% of the major incidents,
per year. Though no estimates exist
agriculture for 21% and other sources
for drought effective rainfall (see note
for the remaining 34%. Because
C1), Scotland is quite easily, and
Scotland does not record sewage
unsurprisingly, the wettest of all
pollution as a separate category, it is
regions. Rainfall quantities vary
difficult to make comparisons with
greatly in Scotland from as much as 3,500 mm per year in some areas, to less than 700 mm in others. Overall,
Top 10 discharges to water .
other regions on this issue.
Mine waters
No data available
No data available on water quality.
however, there is an abundance of rainfall and evaporation is low. There
Sea disposal
is very little data available on water abstraction in Scotland, though it is
With 72% (65,000 tonnes) of
known that 97% of the public water
Scotland's 90,000 annual tonnes of
supply is abstracted from surface
Agriculture 21%
sewage sludge being deposited at Other Sources 34%
sources (the country boasts more
sea, the country will be particularly
than 30,000 lochs) and the remaining
seriously affected by legislation
3% from ground water (see notes C2
banning this practice by 1998 (see
and C3). There are 560 public (and
note C7). The three main Scottish
therefore monitored) water
regions are adopting different
abstractions in Scotland but the large
strategies to deal with the issue. East
number of private abstractions is
Scotland will rely more on incineration, West Scotland on
currently unrecorded and unmonitored.
Industrial 45%
Fig. 8 Major pollution incidents
agricultural routes and land reclamation and North Scotland on agricultural routes alone.
Use of water by sector . No data available
5
Country notes Fig. 9 Claimed per capita controlled waste arisings (tonnes) Published
Pre-1997
Post-Oct 1996
Regional
National
Landfill Tax Data
Data
Data (nat. av.)
(See note A1)
Industrial/commercial
0.92
1.29
0.78
Construction/demolition
1.25
1.02
0.62
Domestic
0.44
0.46
0.28
Special
0.02
0.04
0.02
Total
2.63
2.81
1.7
Water Charges No data available
Discharges No data available
River length and water quality Data for river quality in Scotland is recorded differently to that in England and Wales. However, in 1990 the Department of the Environment stated that 98% of Scotland's 50,960 km river length fell into chemical categories a and b, with the remaining 2% being categorised as c or d. Scotland undoubtedly has the UK's best river quality overall.
Planning application for landfill sites Little data available.
Fig. 10 River length and
A & B 98%
water qualit y (chemical) C & D 2% Total river length 50,960 km
of operators under the Landfill Tax regulations with 273 sites open for
E & F 0% Key:
The region has 154 registered offices
business, owned by companies
A = Very Good
registered nationally. The majority
F = Bad
of sites are for inert waste only and some are for the exclusive use of
River length and w ater quality (biological). No data available.
6
the owners.
Resource management examples Good news
supply could be good news for
specialising in non-ferrous
Scotland. Spain and Portugal over-
recoverables for the electronics and
Best practice
pump acquifer sources and prices
electrical goods sector.
In 1993, Scottish Power established
reflecting true long term costs could
a set of environmental principles
make imports from west Scotland
governing energy and fuel efficiency.
(which has a 40% surplus) attractive.
districts reported that they had a
The Middle East is also being
designated recycling officer.
One policy established was the use of local Scottish coal with low SO2
targeted by west of Scotland water,
content. This has kept emissions
which is examining the feasibility of
from coal fired power stations
utilising sea tankers of up to 250,000
consistently below that of the UK
tonnes capacity. The European
average. In addition, Scottish Power
Directive is not expected to ‘bite’ for
is fitting low NO x burners to stations
at least 10 years however.
at Longannet and Cockenzie. It is also
Reclamation
By the end of 1993, 29 of Scotland's
Border Biofuel has opened a commercial woodchip gassification scheme producing power with a nonfossil fuel subsidy administered by ETSU (see note E10) Energy Power Resources are seeking
expanding its network of renewable
to develop a Poultry Litter energy
generation plants, with wind farms
In 1993, a little more than 500,000
planned in Ireland to add to those
tonnes of material was collected for
already in operation in Cornwall and
recycling in Scotland. Paper/board,
Lancashire.
ferrous metals, glass and cars
A European proposal to force
reported as recycled.
from a waste scheme in Fife.
accounted for 73.7% of all waste governments and water suppliers to charge the full economic and
In the south there is also an
environmental costs for clean water
electronics dismantling operation
Bad News Sector
Incident
Fine + Costs
Construction
River pollution
£15,000
Dairy farm
Silage effluent discharge into river
£500
Landfill leachate
Illegal discharge of effluent
£5,000
Sewage treatment
Non-compliance with conditions
£1,000
Sewage treatment
Non-compliance with conditions
£2,500
Farming
Slurry leak into water course
£500
Salmon processing
Toxic chemical discharge
£6,000
Water utility
Illegal discharge
£1,000
7
