THE Scottish public is to have its say on a deposit return scheme after the Scottish Government officially opened a public consultation on the matter.
Under such a scheme, customers pay a small deposit when they buy drinks in containers such as bottles and cans, and then get the money back when they return the empty container for recycling.
Zero Waste Scotland has been tasked with designing options for how a scheme would work and has prepared four examples of how different choices could work together. These are now available to view in the public consultation document.
The organisation will host its first public engagement event on the matter at Glasgow Fort. Iain Gulland, chief executive of Zero Waste Scotland said, “We will be at Glasgow Fort to talk to people about deposit return, discuss what it might mean for Scotland, and encourage everyone to contribute their views and tell us how it could best work for you and your family. This is the first in a number of public engagement events we will be running over the summer. With a public consultation now live, we want as many people as possible to have their say before the consultation closes in September.”
The Scottish Government has pledged to match the EU’s commitment to require all plastic packaging to be 100% recyclable by 2030. Iain Gulland added, “Single-use items are a huge issue in Scotland and across the world, with more than two billion drinks containers in circulation in Scotland alone – around 694 million of which are plastic bottles.
“As a nation we currently only recycle around half of the drinks containers we consume – yet deposit return has enormous potential to increase recycling and reduce litter – as well as bringing economic benefits, including job creation. This is a landmark step in Scotland’s ambitious goals around ‘making things last’. I encourage everyone to make their thoughts known on deposit return – and help shape the best possible scheme for Scotland.”
Roseanna Cunningham, Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform said, “A deposit return scheme for Scotland has a vital role to play in changing behaviour towards single-use items for good, and accelerating a more circular economy. The Scottish Government, with support from Zero Waste Scotland, is committed to establishing the best possible deposit return scheme for Scotland – and we need input from as many people as possible to do that. I’m delighted that we’re now in a position to begin gathering views, both through the public consultation and Zero Waste Scotland’s community activity over the coming months.”
More information on deposit return schemes, including a link to the public consultation, is available on the Zero Waste Scotland website.
