Unsold products dump ban proposed

COMPANIES could be banned from dumping unsold products that are still in good order, under plans being drawn up by the SNP Government.

Scottish ministers will include the measure as part of the consultation on its new Circular Economy Bill, which is due in May.

Legislation aims to address public concerns about unsold products being destroyed or ending up in landfill.

Instead, retailers would be forced to consider alternatives, such as donating unsold items or recycling them.

France has introduced a ban, with the European Union also considering it.

Greens Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater said: “It is absolutely senseless for perfectly good products to end up in landfill. Rather than being wasted in landfill or incinerated, they should be reused or repurposed.”

The minister spoke out ahead of a visit to Fresh Start in Edinburgh, where white goods and household items donated by companies are given to help those who have been homeless as they move into a new property.

Ms Slater said: “Organisations like Fresh Start show that there is a real need for items like these, and with the cost of living increasing, this need is growing rapidly.

“When goods go to landfill without having even been used once, we don’t just waste the product – we also waste all the energy and raw materials that went into making it.

“This proposal is a direct response to the public concerns about what happens to items that go unsold. By pursuing a ban, we can make sure they make it into the hands of those that need them, and help Scotland reduce its carbon footprint.

“This is the sort of action that’s needed to create a circular economy and shows the level of ambition that will be contained in our proposals in May.”