Collaboration is vital for Scotland’s waste management sector
Businesses need clarity and support to become more circular, writes Laura Tainsh
Scotland’s resource and waste sector is entering an important new phase. Whilst there is innovation across the sector and a clear ambition to move towards a more circular economy, the many policy, regulatory and practical changes currently happening mean that there has never been a greater need for people across the sector to come together.
As Head of Environment at Davidson Chalmers Stewart and recent Past Chair of the Scottish Committee of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), I work closely with organisations across the sector.
Around three years ago, a number of senior members of the various sector bodies recognised that an event to raise awareness of the complexities facing the sector, while creating an environment where people could share ideas, learn from each other and look for practical solutions was necessary.
Following the success of the first conference in November 2024, Resourcing Scotland returns to Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms on November 5. The conference brings together professionals from across the resource and waste sector for a day of insight, discussion, collaboration and celebration.
This year’s theme is From Route Map to Reality: Delivering Scotland’s Circular Economy Reform. There is already a huge amount of innovation taking place in technology, processes and the way organisations work together. Businesses are looking at how they can become more circular and, importantly, futureproof themselves.
The latest figures show both the progress made and the opportunity ahead. In 2024, 44.3 per cent of Scottish household waste was recycled, while the amount sent to landfill has fallen significantly over the longer term. Against that backdrop, there is a lot for businesses and organisations to understand and implement as major policy changes develop.
That is why we have designed this year’s conference to be interactive. I will be leading an afternoon session looking at skills and engaging people in the future of the sector, with a particular focus on what we need to bring into the sector to find solutions to some of its biggest challenges.
A circular economy is about much more than recycling. It is about how we design, use, reuse and manage resources, and how we create systems that allow materials to remain in use for as long as possible.
It is also about behaviour. Education matters, but so do incentives and making it easier for people and businesses to make sustainable choices.
That is why joined-up thinking is so important. The expectations on the sector are extremely high and it is heavily regulated. To implement change successfully, businesses need clarity, support, infrastructure and the opportunity to learn from others tackling similar challenges.
Importantly, we don’t want the conversations to end when the conference does. We want delegates to come away with practical ideas that can be taken forward through our existing sector forums and interactions with the Scottish government and SEPA.
Scotland has an ambitious vision for a more circular economy. Our role as an industry is to work together to help turn that ambition into something that works on the ground. Resourcing Scotland is about ensuring that the challenges to making that happen are recognised and the necessary solutions are actioned.
Laura Tainsh is a Partner and Head of Environment, Davidson Chalmers Stewart