Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in Scottish Highlands and Islands

Producer fees under the EPR schemes will be used to reimburse local authorities (LAs) to cover their costs for providing waste management services. These costs may vary based on the circumstances of the different LAs.

The five Highlands and Islands local authorities (LAs) – Orkney Council, Shetland Council, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council), Argyll and Bute Council and the Highland Council – cover predominantly remote and very rural areas, in terms of their population density and accessibility [1,2]. This presents them with unique challenges and considerations in delivering a waste service, which may be distinct to other rural and remote LAs in the UK. 

To advance the evidence base on such, and in support of a just transition [3], Zero Waste Scotland commissioned research to explore potential challenges and opportunities of implementing packaging, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), and batteries EPR in five Highlands and Islands local authority areas in Scotland.

This summary report presents key findings from a qualitative study in the five Highlands and Islands local LA ‘focus areas’: producing visualisations of waste flows and waste infrastructure for comparative understanding of considerations which may be distinct from other rural and remote LAs in the UK, and exploring opportunities to deliver a just transition for such LAs and the communities they serve.

Report covers:

• development of a research methodology
• analysis of key findings from a series of interviews and a workshop with stakeholders from the focus areas, supplemented with desk-based research and contractor experience of UK waste management systems
• maps and schematics visualising waste management services and waste streams that are likely to be impacted by the three EPR schemes, in each LA area, highlighting key pathways, processes and challenges
• conclusions summarising identified stakeholder perceptions on a number of potential impacts that are unique or have the potential to have a greater impact in the focus LAs due to their specific characteristics
• opportunities to leverage EPR to achieve a just transition for communities in the focus areas are highlighted
• recommendations include the need for future research assessments of gaps in local infrastructure and transport capacities, suitability, and availability, and a further quantitative study to consider the local and unique challenges