An Introduction to the Scottish Carbon Metric Keith James, Environment Manager, WRAP Linda Ovens, Associate Director, Entec Kimberley Pratt Environmental Analyst, ZWS

Background to LCAs & System Boundaries Data Sources Content Introduction Background to LCAs & System Boundaries Data Sources Calculating the Metric Carbon Factors and Weightings Using the Calculator Working with Stakeholders Development of the Metric Background to the Carbon Metric

Background Provide background to development, highlight that it is written into ZWP and identify targets which are carbon based. Links to other Government policies. Landfill Bans Focus on Local Authorities at present because data is best here. Expand to other sectors going forward as data improves.

Scottish Carbon Metric The SCM allows decisions about end of life choices to be made based on environmental impact as well as tonnage Why do we need it? Part of the drive to reduce Climate Change impacts and work towards a more efficient economy (Scotland Climate Change Act) Stern review: “Climate change is the greatest market failure ever seen”

What the Carbon Metric is NOT A Carbon Footprint of waste streams – some life cycle stages are excluded A comparison between all end of life scenarios – does not compare reuse or prevention … yet Set in stone – reviewed annually and as new data becomes available The Carbon Metric is meant to be used to compare the environmental impact of different waste management options for a range of materials and products. There are some things you can’t do with it: It is not a carbon footprint – some stages are left out of the impact assessment (e.g. forming of plastics – varies a lot and has little affect on the results). It contains national level assumptions – if you want an accurate answer for comparing two waste mgmt methods within a district (for example) it is better to conduct an LCA . Clearly not possible to consider the origins of every product that enters the waste streams in Scotland Due to a lack of data, some waste mgmt strategies cannot yet be included. So at this stage the tool essentially compares recycling, EfW and landfill options. The metric will probably be reviewed annually and when directly relevant and important data comes to light

Scottish Carbon Metric Published 15th March 2011 Technical Guide Local Authority Guide Carbon Calculator

Life Cycle Assessment and Thinking Life Cycle Thinking Decision Support Tool; Can provide a comparison between alternatives; Covers a range of environmental issues; Is specific to a certain supply chain, product, or system. Carried out in line with a standard (e.g. ISO 14040). Use of Life Cycle information in decision making; May be used to compare between alternatives and draw general conclusions; Can be general in scope and conclusions; Can be used in implementing the waste hierarchy. The ZWP, as required by the EU Waste Framework Directive, describes the drive to reduce the environmental impact of waste through the application of the waste hierarchy. The consultation on the ZWP revealed that many stakeholders were in favour of a measurement of waste with incorporated environmental impact as well as tonnage. Action 5 ZWP: “SG will introduce a carbon metric for waste to identify and prioritise the materials with the highest environmental benefit for recycling, leading to better environmental outcomes and a more efficient economy. Weight is still used in EU targets but in Scotland the SCM will be applied to the ZWP targets. The Carbon Metric takes both environmental impact and weight into account – so waste streams which have a high environmental impact and a large volume will be prioritised. The carbon metric will ensure that we reduce our environmental impacts created by waste in a efficient manner by prioritising those waste streams with the highest potential to contribute to climate change

Boundaries of the Scottish Carbon Metric

Data Quality Criteria Time; Geography; Technology; Complete; Representative; Consistent; Reproducible; Transparent; Precise / variance / uncertainty; Less than 5 years old; Scotland / UK / Europe; Average; Clearly defined limits; Representative of average; Fair treatment; Independent assessment possible; Data is traceable; Understand risks / issues;

Data Sources Trade Associations US LandGEM Model WRATE WRAP (2010) Environmental Benefits of Recycling Data Criteria

Calculating the Metric Factors Impact of waste management options for different waste streams Weighting Ranked materials comparing environmental impact Metric Tonnage + environmental impact (weighting) 11

Carbon Factors A summary of the carbon factors can be found on ZWS website Carbon impacts of materials based on LCA results Designed to include additional data as it becomes available

Carbon Metric Weightings

The Calculations

Tonnage V Carbon impact example Recycling Rate (%)

Calculating the Metric Total waste arisings, arisings by composition Recycling rate by composition Data you need to calc the metric: Total arisings (arisings by comp if poss, if not use national data) Recycling rate by comp if possible Screen shot: C calc – material categories, CM weighting, arisings & recycling (t) (yellow = fill in), tonnage recycling rate, and CM RR

Tonnage RR = 39%, Carbon RR = 28% Focusing on Carbon Real LA data Tonnage RR = 39%, Carbon RR = 28% Data you need to calc the metric: Total arisings (arisings by comp if poss, if not use national data) Recycling rate by comp if possible Screen shot: C calc – material categories, CM weighting, arisings & recycling (t) (yellow = fill in), tonnage recycling rate, and CM RR Total arisings (t) Total recycled (t) Tonnage RR Carbon Metric RR

Calculating the Metric Increase textiles recycling to 90% Send 90% food to Anaerobic Digestion Two changes which are focused on increasing carbon can increase the CM rating disproportionately to the tonnage RR. You can use Calc to work out the changes you need could make in collections for each material to increase recycling rate Tonnage RR Carbon Metric RR

Working with stakeholders Local Authorities Waste Management sector Scottish Government and SEPA Commercial and Industrial sectors Construction and Demolition sector NB: focus on sustainable businesses (2degrees)  working with businesses to ensure CM reflects reality, new technologies represented, options with low env impact are encouraged etc

Development of the Carbon Metric Unique and ground breaking… but still a work in progress Areas for development include: New materials and technologies Better understanding of end of life choices Improved data sources CM Steering group Interaction with other Metrics as they develop

Thank you for listening