Ariane Burgess MSP: Highland Council should scrap plans for Longman incinerator

The recent announcement that councils are to pause plans for new incinerators by Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity Lorna Slater MSP, means that plans for Longman Incinerated should be scrapped, Ariane Burgess, Green MSP for Highlands and Islands has said.   

The Scottish Greens have delivered £209,500 for Highland Council’s green waste collections, as part of an agreement with the Scottish Government, which should help the Highland Council reduce the amount of waste going to landfill in the area. 

This is part of a wider move, following COP 26 and the publishing of the Fourth National Planning Framework to deliver on Scotland’s ambition to become a Net-Zero nation by 2045.

Commenting, Ariane Burgess MSP said: 

“Highland Council should now scrap the plans for Longman Incinerator entirely and use the money assigned to the project to develop a new approach to waste based on the circular economy. Let’s reduce waste, not burn it!”

“We are now seeing the positive impact of having Greens in Government. As I said previously, incineration has no place in a circular economy. The additional £209,500 we have secured for Highland Council green waste collections will help to reduce amount of waste going to landfill without the damaging environmental impacts of incineration.” 

“I’m encouraged to see that additional funding from the Scottish Government has been assigned to Highland Council but I will always be pushing my Green colleagues and the Scottish Government to go further”