Waste management long term strategic direction

At today’s (Wednesday 27 November 2024) Communities & Place Committee, Members agreed the most appropriate long-term strategic direction for residual waste management is to continue to utilise a merchant provider solution.

Communities & Place Committee Chair, Cllr Graham MacKenzie said: “After careful consideration and analysis it has been agreed that a merchant provider solution is considered the most appropriate long term solution to our statutory waste management obligations, and that an energy-from- waste facility within the Highlands is not considered to be a suitable course of action.

“Our objective as a Council remains focused on reducing the tonnage of residual waste transported over time - through the impacts of waste management collection service changes already being implemented across the Highlands.

“The aim of the new collection services is to reduce the annual residual waste tonnage within Highland by nearly 9,000 tonnes, which would save 368 return transport journeys per year.

“With six new merchant energy-from-waste facilities under development across Scotland, the supply capacity indicates greater certainty of future provision.”

The Council’s Waste Service will study the market within the context of its current service provision, its long-term requirement and the evolving market supply capacity, to ascertain when would be the most prudent time to tender its residual waste management specification.

The full report can be accessed here (Item 11).