Chamber and committees

Transport Scotland has contracted Hagar Environmental & Atmospheric Technologies (HEAT) to deploy remote sensing equipment on both local and trunk roads in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Remote sensing equipment uses laser spectroscopy to measure the real-world emissions of vehicle exhaust plumes as the vehicles pass underneath.

This equipment has been deployed in the Glasgow City Council, City of Edinburgh Council, Aberdeen City Council and Dundee City Council areas. As the equipment was at times deployed simultaneously in each city, there were up to four of these sensors deployed in each year since 2021.

The deployment of remote sensing equipment in Scotland from 2021-2023 was the most comprehensive use of this equipment by any country in Europe.

HEAT have partnered with the ICCT (International Council for Clean Transportation) and Element Energy to deliver this project.

The Scottish Government has not assessed the potential for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production or supply in Scotland by specific dates. However, we continue to explore options for incentivising the production and use of SAF including the support the Scottish Government could provide. We will take account of proposed UK Government action on SAF, recognising that significant levers remain reserved. In considering options, we are drawing on the responses to our consultation on the aviation strategy and the main findings from Scottish Enterprise’s recent SAF supply chain study. We will also involve stakeholders as appropriate.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22954 on 23 November 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The Scottish Government has commissioned several pieces of research to consider biofuel feedstock production in recent years.

The report Perennial energy crops and their potential in Scotland: evidence review examines the potential for a sustainable expansion of perennial bioenergy crop production on low-grade agricultural land or underutilised land, focusing on short rotation coppice, miscanthus and short rotation forestry.

The study Comparing Scottish bioenergy supply and demand in the context of Net-Zero targets considered how biomass can contribute to negative emissions when deployed as Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), including reviewing domestic supply.

Transport Scotland commissioned independent research to understand the role that low carbon or alternative fuels, which include biofuels, can play in supporting transport decarbonisation

Research currently underway is considering the economic opportunities from energy crops in Scotland for rural communities.

An underlying principle of producer responsibility policies for packaging, covering the existing package recovery notes (PRN) system, reforms to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging, and the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for single use drinks containers, is that a producer should not be double-obligated for the same item of packaging.

This means that drinks containers in scope of DRS will not be in scope of EPR reforms. Packaging EPR reforms will replace the existing PRN system for household packaging waste. All three producer responsibility systems operate across the whole of the UK.

Impact assessments have been conducted for both DRS and packaging EPR. Consideration is given to cumulative effect of the proposed reforms and any interactions they may have with other regulations. Impact assessments are available at:

Packaging EPR: Impact Assessment (defra.gov.uk)

The Packaging Waste (Data Reporting) (Scotland) Regulations 2023 (legislation.gov.uk)

DRS: Deposit return scheme - Managing waste - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Scottish Government has not carried out a specific assessment of the potential impacts of renewable energy projects on food production.

National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) policy 5 ‘Soils’ is clear that that development proposals on prime agricultural land, or land of lesser quality that is culturally or locally important for primary use, as identified by the local development plan, will only be supported in limited circumstances.

Those circumstances include: for essential infrastructure where there is a specific locational need and no other suitable site, and for renewable energy generation. In all circumstances the policy is clear that the layout and design of the proposal minimises the amount of protected land that is required.

All renewable energy applications are considered on a case-by-case basis, and a careful balance must be struck between the potential impacts of the proposed development and the associated environmental, economic, renewable energy and climate change benefits.

Zero Waste Scotland recognises the importance of natively grown sustainable fibres in the transition to a Circular Economy for textiles. Zero Waste Scotland are undertaking research on the textiles industry in Scotland to understand material flows and business practices. Results are anticipated next financial year.

Local authorities are responsible for the provision of local waste services and are, therefore, best placed to comment on their readiness to comply with the ban on sending biodegradable municipal waste to landfill in 2025.

We continue to provide procurement support to help local authorities that need it to secure contracts in preparation for the forthcoming ban. As part of this support, Zero Waste Scotland is working with local authorities to provide technical, legal and procurement advice on their contracts.

Through this support, we understand that 22 local authorities have contracts in place for 2025 that comply with the landfill ban, these are: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, City of Edinburgh, City of Glasgow, Dundee City, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Falkirk, Fife, Highland, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders, Shetland, and South Lanarkshire.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22317 on 7 November 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Information on the percentage of plastic collected and recycled in Scotland, and outwith Scotland is available from SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) via its ‘waste from all sources’ data reporting tool: https://informatics.sepa.org.uk/WasteAllSources/