ROTTING rubbish could pile up in Scotland amid fears a no-deal Brexit could limit the export of waste, according to documents seen by the Sunday National.
The concern has been raised by Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham in a letter to a Holyrood committee which will be considering the issue in the coming days.
Under special exports licences, tonnes of waste – including household items and plastics – is transported for disposal from the UK to Europe, where much of the rubbish is incinerated.
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Amid the prospect of the UK crashing out of the bloc, the UK and the EU drew up emergency proposals last month to allow the exports to continue if there was a no-deal withdrawal.
However, ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, Cunningham wrote to the Environment Committee last week raising concerns about the shipment of waste despite the UK-EU contingency plans.
“While our information is that bulk exports of waste from Scotland do not go through Dover or Folkestone, any disruption in these ports could have impacts across the UK,” Cunningham wrote in her letter to committee convener Gillian Martin, the SNP MSP.
“There are also potential impacts from any changes in tariffs and currency values (and concomitant cost increases), and if significant vacancies arise in the sector as a result of the departure of EU nationals and inability to hire replacements.
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‘‘The effect of these factors could be changes in the operation of the waste market, and waste flows, over time with the possibility of some level of disruption until the markets stabilise again.
“These changes could affect the mainstream waste market but are perhaps more likely to impact on specialist markets where alternative treatment options are limited.”
She added that the Scottish Government would “continue to monitor changes in the waste market” and “anticipated that the day one impact of a no-deal EU exit on waste services in Scotland would be modest”.
Responding to Cunningham’s concerns, the Labour MSP Claudia Beamish, who sits on the committee, said: “This makes clear again why we desperately need to avoid a hard Brexit but also to move to a more sustainable, circular economy.
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“This move will bring good future job opportunities if properly planned as part of a robust just transition programme, supported by a long-term statutory commission.”
Scottish Greens Environment spokesman, Mark Ruskell, who is also a member of the committee, added: “This is just the latest example of the Westminster Government’s calamitous Brexit carry on. Ultimately, we must reduce the volume of waste Scotland produces, and increase recycling rates, but we also need to co-operate with our European neighbours.’’
Earlier this year leaked emails showed Whitehall civil servants were planning crisis centres to manage a halt in waste exports to EU.
Government officials were preparing to deal with “putrefying stockpiles” of rubbish in the event of a no-deal Brexit, according to documents leaked to the Guardian.
The paper reported that the Environment Agency (EA) was also concerned that if farmers cannot export beef and lamb, a backlog of livestock on farms could cause liquid manure stores to overflow. An EA source said: “It could all get very ugly, very quickly.”
One EA email warned: “If there is a no-deal scenario, the current export of waste may cease for a period. This could result in stockpiled waste which causes licence breaches... odours will obviously be an issue as the stockpiled waste putrefies.’’
A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson said: “The UK Government remains focused on ensuring an orderly withdrawal from the EU... but we will continue to prepare for all Brexit scenarios. We have been working closely with the waste industry to ensure they have contingency plans in place and we expect waste exports would continue largely uninterrupted in the case of a no-deal Brexit.”
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