SNP may delay landfill ban to stop rubbish being sent south

The SNP could delay a ban on landfill in Scotland to prevent up to 100 truckloads of rubbish a day being moved to England.

John Swinney said it was “not acceptable for a large amount of waste to be transported” south of the Border when the ban comes into force at the end of this year.

The First Minister said “several options” were being explored to avoid this in discussions with local authorities and waste management firms.

Pressed directly, he refused to rule out a further delay to the ban, which was originally scheduled to come into force in 2021.

It emerged earlier this week that the SNP’s ban on “black bag” waste being buried in landfill is expected to lead to 600,000 tons of rubbish being transported to England in the first year.

Industry experts warned that this was the equivalent of 80 to 100 trucks of waste per day being moved south of the Border. Scotland does not have enough incinerators to handle the rubbish.