Motorway litterbugs will be punished, Cunningham vows

Tougher measures targeting people who throw litter out of cars have been promised after it was revealed seven tonnes of rubbish is thrown on to the M8 and M9 every month.

Environment secretary Roseanna Cunningham has proposed making littering from vehicles a specific offence after it was revealed approximately 1,300 bin bags full of rubbish are collected from the side of the two motorways each month.

She joined litter pickers at the M9 near Linlithgow in West Lothian to see the scale of the problem for herself. Ms Cunningham said: “There can simply be no excusing the practice of littering from vehicles, which is why I am committed to introducing tougher measures to tackle this issue.”

Littering is already an offence under the Environmental Protection Act but Ms Cunningham suggested new laws strengthening enforcement against people hurling rubbish from their cars.

“I am committed to bringing forward new legislation as part of a future Circular Economy Bill, making it an offence to litter from vehicles,” she said.

“Squads of litter pickers are out on our road network every single day collecting bottles, crisp packets, cans and more, but are facing an uphill battle in the face of mindless behaviour from those motorists and passengers who are choosing to throw their litter out of the window rather than binning or recycling empty packaging at the end of their journey.”

She added: “Scotland is a beautiful country that is being blighted by litter. Not only is littering from vehicles completely unnecessary, it is unsightly and it presents a danger.”