A fund has been launched to help introduce more reusable packaging options in stores across the Scottish islands.
Backed by the Scottish Government and European regional development fund, the islands green recovery programme refill fund will provide a range of equipment that enables customers to obtain grocery products in reusable containers brought from home.
In addition to having waste frequently wash up on their shores, island communities bear the double burden of dealing with imported single-use items and then the shipping-off of them as waste.
Paul Wheelhouse MSP, minister for energy, connectivity and the islands, said, “The islands green recovery programme Refill Fund delivers a series of exciting and innovative projects that will support green recovery and carbon emission reductions. It will increase the resilience of island communities through investment in food sustainability and projects that support and impact upon the green circular economy and related employment.
“All four strands of the overall £2 million islands green recovery programme will fund projects that help our island communities to thrive, contribute to our work on repopulation and create jobs. In line with the commitments set out in the national islands plan, projects will also support and enhance health and wellbeing as well as the development of local supply chains and the associated economic output that comes with this.”
Emma Bee, founder of The Selkie Collective store in the Isle of Skye, added, “We are very excited to have received the IGRP funding. It will allow us to widen our existing range of refill options by funding dried food dispensers. We will now be able to provide not only household cleaning refills, but also foods such as pasta, flour and dried fruit, to our customers in Skye and Lochalsh. This will add to the efforts in our community to reduce the large amount of single use plastic.”
