Problem Statement

Waste and Energy Issues in Scotland
The environment and sustainability are pressing matters in Scotland today, tackling global warming and environmental issues while supplying energy to meet our needs has become central to the problem. It is recognised that our reliance on fossil fuels and current approach to waste has had serious detrimental effects on society and the global environment as such, steps have been taken to diversify our energy resources, tackle our waste problem and reduce green house gas emissions. 

Landfilling: A Sustainable Solution?
The practice of landfilling waste is another major source of greenhouse gases. Last year the total municipal solid waste (MSW) requiring disposal within Scotland amounted to 3.4 million tonnes. 2.3 million tonnes of this waste were sent to landfill, 1 million tonnes were recycled and a small proportion incinerated[1,2]. As a result of current disposal methods our waste contributed 45% of the total releases of methane from the UK[3]. Methane being one of the most damaging of the greenhouse gases. Landfilling is also a source of environmental damage through leaching of contaminants to groundwater systems.

A Place for Energy From Waste
Part of the solution to these issues is to convert part of our waste to energy. This will effectively reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill sites and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels by increasing the diversity of energy sources. 

With less waste sent to landfill sites there will be less demand for land area to be used as landfill, reductions in the emissions of methane to the atmosphere and an improved public perception of the waste industry.

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