Landfill Delays Risk Incinerator Backlog in Scotland

As of November 5th, 2025, Scotland is facing a potential waste management crisis due to delays in allowing waste to go to landfill and the limited capacity of its incinerators. Experts warn that these delays by the regulator could lead to backlogs when incinerators break down, causing further disruptions.

Landfill is seen as the least environmentally sustainable way of handling waste, as it involves simply dumping waste in a hole in the ground and covering it over. However, landfill taxes have made this option increasingly more expensive than incineration, where waste is burned in a furnace to generate electricity.

Despite efforts to encourage recycling, Scotland's recycling rates have barely budged, lagging behind the rest of the UK, especially Wales. Several new incinerators are either in the planning or construction stages, which should help close the capacity gap within the next two years.

Longer-term concerns about overcapacity at incinerators have led the Scottish government to announce in 2022 that no more incinerators will be allowed beyond those already under consideration. Environmental groups like Friends of the Earth Scotland have argued that incineration should not be seen as the solution and that more investment is needed in waste reduction and recycling.