Landfill Capacity Assessment Report 2025
The landfill capacity assessment was commissioned by Zero Waste Scotland, on behalf of the Scottish Government, to provide an assessment of current and future engineered landfill capacity to support the sector in making informed decisions regarding adequate landfill capacity provision in Scotland beyond 2026.
The assessment considers landfill operator plans beyond 2026, projects future waste arisings requiring landfill disposal, and compares the landfill capacity available (‘supply’) with the projected waste arisings requiring non-hazardous and hazardous landfill disposal (‘demand’) over the next 10 years to 2036.
The report covers:
- An analysis of landfill capacity demand based on updated waste projections to 2036 and revised capacity forecasts.
- An update on landfill capacity supply in Scotland, based on a questionnaire and follow-up communications with existing operators of non-hazardous and hazardous landfills in Scotland.
- A 10-year forecast of landfill capacity in Scotland based on waste arisings projections modelling and landfill operator data.
- Recommendations made to mitigate against the projected deficit in landfill capacity from 2026-2027.