Cashback on empties considered by council
Councillors in Stirling are to look at introducing a cashback deposit system for `empties’.
The Scottish Government recently consulted on a deposit return system for singleuse drinks containers.
The scheme would be similar to systems said to have achieved rates of around 95 per cent in Norway, the Netherlands, and Michigan in the USA and between 84 per cent to 99 per cent in Sweden.
Zero Waste Scotland has said it could save local authorities £13 million a year on litter and waste costs, although more work needs to be done to determine how it could work most effectively in Scotland alongside services provided by local authorities.
At a recent full meeting of Stirling Council, councillors voted by a majority to remit the issue to its environment committee for further discussion.
Council officers had said the DRS (Deposit Return System) was “sound in principle”.
However, they added in a report: “The ultimate system would be one that the public would use on a daily basis, and therefore comprehensive public consultation should be considered in informing the design and delivery mechanism at the earliest possible stage, were its introduction to be considered by the council.”
The officers also warned of “negative unintended consequences” of introducing DRS, including reduction in materials from kerbside collection in favour of returns to retailers.
The report continued: “Plastics and glass provide a reasonable income for waste services and this would be reduced/lost with the DRS, resulting in higher collection costs and reduced recycling rates. With the removal of high grade plastics it would be anticipated our processors would also increase their gate fees to compensate for the loss of the higher value material. As such it would be vital that detailed cost benefit analysis had been undertaken, and the results assessed, before any such system was introduced.”
They also said impacting on littering would be “marginal” as the behaviour of litterers would not be affected.
Green councillor Mark Ruskell, who had lodged a motion asking the council to send a letter of support for DRS to the Cabinet Secretary for Environment Roseanna Cunningham, said: “The idea is to put some general pressure on the Scottish Government to iron out some of the details. It would be great to get that to the environment committee but we are not quite there yet.
“It’s mainstream in a lot of European countries. We have made tremendous progress in Stirling in recycling and there has been great continous growth but it’s going to get harder to meet the Scottish Government’s targets. Forty per cent of drinks are consumed in bottles away from the home so it is not bottles that are going to necessarily be part of our existing recycling scheme. Half our litter comprises drinks bottles.
“There are some litterers who are not going to be interested in getting cash back but to encourage people with a financial incentive could see litter reduced as a result. Collecting litter and sending out trucks costs money. We could save £30 million across Scotland with a returns system.
“There are important caveats in the officers’ advice but these are some considerations that might be addressed in the scheme.”
Environment convener Councillor Danny Gibson said: “No one is arguing about the principle, just about the cart being before the horse. It’s just the research and work that needs to be done behind it and what it means for us which is why I wanted to do it through the committee.”