Waste Disposal Scotland

We are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of our activities and Scotland has already begun its journey towards a more sustainable approach to waste and resources.

However, there is still a long way to go before Scotland has a truly sustainable approach to the management of waste and we have a duty to protect the environment and human health from the effects of waste management and disposal.

In order to do this, we:

• licence and monitor waste management facilities such as landfills and incinerators;
• administer producer compliance schemes for particular waste streams;
• regulate the transfrontier shipment of wastes;
• respond to pollution incidents and fly-tipping.

Tackling illegal waste management activities – which can cause significant environmental harm and loss of business for responsible operators – is one of our major priorities.

In partnership with police forces and other agencies, we undertake targeted operations to tackle:

• illegal landfill sites;
• unlicensed skip hire operators;
• large scale and persistent dumping of waste;
• unlawful collection, storage and breaking of scrap cars;
• unauthorised collection, storage and export of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).

However, we aim to make complying with regulation as clear and straightforward as possible for operators and all those involved in waste management – this section provides more information about how waste management is regulated and how we implement those regulations.