MSPs call for action on deposit scheme to clean up the country
SCOTTISH ministers have been urged to make a decision on introducing a bottle deposit scheme as a ‘potential solution’ to cleaning up the country’s streets and beaches.
A Holyrood sub-committee yesterday published a report saying MSPs should look at the plan in detail and set up a public inquiry into the practicalities and potential benefits.
It details a number of opportunities the initiative could bring, including cutting litter and reducing business waste costs.
Earlier this year the Scottish Daily Mail launched the Banish the Bottles campaign, calling for the introduction of a deposit scheme.This would see consumers charged a fee of up to 10p when buying bottled or canned drinks, which would be refunded when the containers are returned.
The scheme has gained widespread support, with the majority of MSPs a motion in favour, while drinks giant Coca-Cola has claimed it is the ‘only show in town’ when it comes to clearing up Scotland’s beaches, towns, streets and countryside.
In its report yesterday, Holyrood’s deposit return scheme (DRS) sub-committee urged the environment committee to conduct further work on the plan. It stated: ‘The sub-group concluded that a DRS [is] one potential solution to a wider problem of waste collection and disposal.
‘The sub-group proposed the committee undertake further work into the issue of waste collection and disposal, and recommended it would be more effective to start by considering the wider waste landscape and incorporate discussions of solutions, including DRS within that.’
The report also highlighted a number of opportunities a DRS could have, including reducing litter levels on land and at sea.
Within the document was a submission from campaign group Keep Scotland Beautiful. It said: ‘Introducing a DRS will, we believe, lead to a welcome increase in recycling rates and, importantly, reduce the volume of aluminium and plastic in the litter stream.’
However, concerns were raised by some of those asked to give evidence, such as the Scottish Retail Consortium, which has concerns about how the scheme would work and the likely impact on businesses and consumers.
Tory environment spokesman Maurice Golden, a member of the sub-committee, said: ‘The Mail should be applauded for bringing further attention to such an important issue. The SNP Govbacking ernment has been working on a deposit scheme for over a decade and the public deserve to know whether it will go ahead.’
A majority of MSPs have backed a motion in favour of a DRS, and Scottish Labour included the plan in its General Election manifesto launched this week.
John Mayhew of the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland, which is running the Have You Got The Bottle? campaign, said: ‘Now the discussion moves to the full committee, which will hear evidence that an efficient, modern system would boost Scottish retailers’ income, cut local councils’ costs and substantially reduce both litter and waste. We would urge everyone with an interest in these issues to get involved.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘A deposit return scheme offers potential benefits, such as reducing litter and improving recycling rates, but there could also be drawbacks, including the potential impact on small businesses.
‘That is why we are carefully evaluating the situation.’