THE Highland Council has abandoned its plans to build a new incinerator to burn household waste in the Longman area of Inverness amid public and environmental concerns.
After construction, the new incinerator was planned to burn up to 65,000 tonnes of household waste per year.
In 2022, the Scottish Government imposed a ban on incinerators due to their severe environmental impacts. However, Friends of the Earth criticised notable loopholes, as incinerators that were already planned for construction were allowed to proceed.
Incinerators harm the environment by emitting pollution, which contributes to climate change.
The Highland Council said that its decision to cancel the incinerator was due to public concerns about incineration, a desire to avoid contributing to the large amounts of plastic being burned, and the necessity to reduce emissions by increasing recycling.
Kim Pratt, circular economy campaigner at Friends of the Earth welcomed this news, arguing the construction of a new incinerator would have locked the Highland Council “into decades of burning waste, which is a disaster for the planet and a risk to the health of people who live nearby”.
In the past 10 years, the recycling rates in Scotland have remained unchanged. Despite the Scottish Government’s goal to reach 60% by 2020, the number is still at 43% in Scotland.
However, the Highland Council's recycling rate in 2023 was 36%, below the average, marking a slight decline from 37% in 2022.
The Highland Council said it will extend its current plans for a further three years and send waste to an existing incinerator in Dunbar.
“It can now use the next three years of its waste contract to come up with a plan which is focused on improving access to reuse and recycling for its residents,” said Pratt.
Anne Thomas, a local campaigner opposed to the project, welcomed the news, as she has "been campaigning against an incinerator at the Longman for many years."
She calls to reduce waste, “reuse and recycle” and “not burn it".
"We will then need less incinerators," she said.
“They’re also not an efficient way of generating electricity, producing more carbon emissions than coal,” said Thomas.
“We’re very glad Highland Council has decided against this huge waste of money and resources.
“They now need to move to a properly circular economy, not tie themselves into an expensive contract for someone else to burn the waste.”
