Scots’ progress in war on plastics

AT the end of this month Scotland will roll out a ban on some of the most polluting single-use plastic items – a whole two years ahead of the current English plans for a comparable ban.

This move, combined with their more urgent and far-reaching approach to important policy measures such as Deposit Return Schemes, cements Scotland as the leading nation within Brexit Britain in tackling single-use plastics.

That said, it is frankly embarrassing that, three years since the EU Single-use Plastic Directive was adopted across the EU, we are still at a stage where not all the listed items have been banned in any county within the UK.

Although it’s great to see the back of plastic cutlery, stirrers and straws, it’s also disappointing that some items, such as expanded polystyrene food packaging, were left out of the Scottish ban and proposed English ban.

Scotland is leading the way in Brexit Britain but it’s still alarming to see how we’re already struggling to keep up with our European counterparts. We were promised a Green Brexit and that we would become “global leaders”.

While Scotland is admirably trying to keep up with our European neighbours, Westminster seems determined to walk its own much slower, much more damaging, and ultimately much less effective at tackling plastic pollution, path. This is isn’t the Brexit Britain that most Britons wanted.

Steve Hynd, Policy Manager,

City to Sea, Stroud, Gloucestershire.