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Waste site information

	Scottish waste sites and capacity tool
Information	Reporting years	Last updated
Landfill sites and capacity (Annual)	2014 - 2020	April 2022
Waste sites and capacity (Annual)	2014 - 2020	April 2022
Site return data (Quarterly)	Q1 2007 – Q2 2021	July 2022

Waste sites and capacity information

This Scottish waste sites and capacity tool provides an annual summary of the numbers, types and capacities of Waste Management Licences (WML) or relevant Pollution, Prevention and Control (PPC) permits regulated by SEPA. It also includes a quarterly summary of information supplied by operators in licensed/permitted site returns. The data is subject to regular review and revisions are handled as per SEPA’s correction policy. The publication schedule is set out on our Waste data reporting page.

This information can be used for a variety of purposes ranging from supporting waste management planning and policy decisions, to informing businesses about options for managing their waste. SEPA uses the data for reporting under the European Union Waste Statistics Regulations.

This tool provides details about:

• Landfill sites and capacity - includes the numbers and types of landfills in Scotland, the amount of waste landfilled at each site in a given year, the remaining capacity for each site and, where available, the annual capacity of the site. There is an interactive map showing the location of the landfills. The tool also contains information about historical closed landfills.
• Waste sites and capacity - includes the numbers and types of all licensed/permitted waste management facilities in Scotland holding a WML or PPC permit (Activity 5 and 6.8b).  It shows the amount of waste each site handles in a given year (as inputs, treatment onsite and output tonnages) and, where available, the annual capacity of the site.  There is an interactive map showing the location of the sites.
• Site return information – displays a summary of waste managed by individual waste facilities on a quarterly/annual basis.

SEPA recently undertook a Waste Data Consultation proposing to increase the amount of non-personal and non-confidential information published from waste data returns received by SEPA. There was widespread support for the proposal and the move to start publishing additional information is scheduled for autumn 2022. This will be implemented as an update to the site return section of the waste sites and capacity tool and will apply to all years of data published. Additional information to be published will include:

• Geographical origin and/or destination of waste accepted on site (where non-confidential)
• Waste treatment method(s) on site
• Publication of tables C (waste treated on site) and C4 (waste landfill or incinerated on site after treatment)
• Inclusion of returns from waste activities that operate under a complex exemption

A summary of the waste data return information that are currently published and the additional information that will be published can be found in section 2 of the Waste Data consultation. Further detail is available on our guidance pages for licensed/ permitted site returns and exempt activities.

 Waste management infrastructure capacity data

Publication title	Reporting year	Date published
Waste management infrastructure capacity estimates - data	2018	December 2020
Waste management infrastructure capacity estimates - methodology	2018	December 2020

Every year SEPA provides an estimate of the national shortfall in waste management infrastructure capacity required to meet the targets set out in Making Things Last: a circular economy strategy for Scotland. These estimates are intended to help authorities collectively plan for the waste management infrastructure.

The capacity shortfall is allocated to groups of local authorities or strategic development plan areas across Scotland. These allocated capacities should not be treated as a limit and should be used in conjunction with Scottish Planning Policy (with particular reference to pages 41-44) and associated planning and waste management advice. It is recognised that authorities can work in a number of arrangements spatially and operationally to deliver new capacity not just in the groupings presented in the tables. Revisions to the data are handled as per SEPA’s correction policy. The publication schedule is set out on our Waste data reporting page.