About seven tonnes of litter is collected per month from the M8 and M9 alone in Scotland. So says a consultation document about ‘developing Scotland’s circular economy’ about recycling.
The Holyrood Government proposes a ‘fixed penalty regime’ whereby the Scottish Government can set out fines for people littering from their vehicles; whether or not the litter was dropped by the keeper of the vehicle. That would bring Scotland into line with England and Wales where such a fixed penalty regime was introduced by the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 and later regulations. Also as for enforcement, the consultation is asking whether the authorities in Scotland – the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is the environmental regulator – should be given powers to seize vehicles linked to waste crime.
Generally, in the name of ‘tackling our throwaway culture’, the Edinburgh Government is proposing mandatory public reporting of unwanted food and maybe textiles surplus stock and waste; and increasing the minimum single-use carrier bag charge from 5p to 10p. Holyrood is also proposing a charge to be applied on single-use drinks cups. The number of single-use cups used in Scotland is estimated, based on current usage, to reach 310 million a year by 2025.
For the document visit https://www.gov.scot/publications/delivering-scotlands-circular-economy-proposals-legislation/.
Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: “An innovative circular economy can improve productivity and open up new markets while providing employment opportunities and lower cost options to access the goods we need. Responding to the global climate emergency will be a challenge for us all – be it government, business or individuals – and I would strongly encourage everyone to share their views on how we make this journey together.”
