A TRADE union has hit out over plans to potentially incinerate Clackmannanshire's household waste.

UNISON Clackmannanshire has last week published the branch's view on the matter, after Wee County councillors agreed to join with Stirling Council in seeking a contract for the disposal of biodegradable municipal waste.

The move is to make both authorities comply with the landfill ban, set to come into force in 2025.

Council documents for the meeting set out that collaborative meetings have been ongoing since December 2019 with attendees from Zero Waste Scotland as well as Clackmannanshire, Falkirk, Perth & Kinross and Stirling councils to find a solution.

Papers for the meeting said: “The view of the collaborative procurement group is that the only proven, viable and available technology for treating non-recyclable municipal waste is via an energy from waste process.

“It is widely accepted across the industry that this model is currently the most appropriate conduit to achieve best value and to provide a reliable, legally compliant waste treatment solution.”

The view was reinforced in a letter from minister for net zero Michael Matheson, documents added.

In an online piece, the Clacks UNISON Branch said: “The Clackmannanshire UNISON branch has for several years asked officers of the council to discuss with the trade unions a plan for increasing recycling and alternatives for waste other than incineration.

“We firmly believe that Clackmannanshire Council could be creating local, sustainable jobs from income generated by waste streams providing low cost heat and electricity from waste but without damaging the environment while doing so.”

The item was taken just after councillors agreed net zero targets for the county, as reported last week.

During the debate, Green Cllr Bryan Quinn told the chamber he understood the landfill ban put local authorities in a difficult position but added: “I am not happy that [we had a discussion on climate change one item ago] and now there's a possibility that our waste could be sent to the incinerators.”

He described the move as opting for an "easy fix” and that it is “completely opposed to a zero waste, circular economy”.

However, he conceded councillors were to vote on the basis that this was the best option.

Following agreement, a contract will be sought for the medium term, 10-15 years.

Cllr Jane McTaggart, who seconded the paper, said: “This collaboration will give both partners shared best practice and seek the best economic value for both councils.

“There's a clear correlation between this paper and the climate change and net zero paper in that they are both gearing towards a net reduction in the negative impact our waste has on our climate.”

She added that in seeking a contract, there may be other solutions and “we may not need to rely solely on incineration”.

A Zero Waste Scotland technical report on the impacts of burning municipal waste in Scotland, updated in 2021, explained that incinerating waste emitted 27 per cent less CO2 than sending bin bags to landfill.

This was highlighted by council documents, along with the importance of increasing recycling to reduce fossil carbon, such as plastics, in waste.

It was also noted that “doing nothing is not an option”.

However, UNISON has been urging the local authority to go further and take the lead on an alternative solution.

The Clacks branch said: “UNISON felt that our elected members should have taken steps that are more aligned with our own ambitions in order to protect the planet, the people of Clackmannanshire and our neighbours.

“This vote demonstrates that, much like the outcomes from the COP26 conference on climate change, there is no real political ambition to turn the tide on global warming.

“Politicians like to say the right things on climate change while also voting for policies that will ultimately accelerate the rate at which our planet is severely damaged.

“For UNISON this is yet another wasted opportunity where Clackmannanshire Council could have led the way on climate change and created a real circular economy, something which could have assisted with the current challenges we are all facing with the cost of living crisis.”

There is no energy from waste plant in the Wee County and UNISON understands Clacks' rubbish could be sent to a neighbouring authority instead.

Cllr Fiona Law, spokesperson for the environment and net zero, said: "All Scottish councils will, by law, be banned from sending waste to landfill from January 1, 2026.

"The council has approved to procure services to enable it to meet this statutory obligation.

“Whilst not prescribed in the tender specification, it is likely that may include the incineration of residual waste.

"The UK waste industry recognises this as the only deliverable and viable treatment that exists for waste which cannot be reused or recycled at present.

“Moving away from landfill will vastly reduce our carbon footprint and, with an increased focus on recycling, will help Clackmannanshire become cleaner and greener for all our residents.

"The council has called a climate emergency and this decision aligns with the aim of the council to achieve net zero by 2040.''