Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham paid a visit to secure shredding and paper recycling firm Shredall SDS Group’s new Scotland depot. The Environment Secretary was given a tour of the site’s state-of-the-art recycling facilities to explore the potential to help develop Scotland’s circular economy.
The Scottish Government’s proposals for circular economy legislation are designed to help drive Scotland’s circular economy by increasing recycling rates and reducing litter. It is being consulted on until 19th December and includes initiatives such as mandatory public reporting of waste, strengthening household recycling and environmental charging on single-use items proven to be harmful to the environment.
A potential charge on single-use items such as disposable beverage cups is one of a number of recommendations made by a panel of experts to the Scottish Government to promote reusable and recyclable alternatives.
Shredall SDS Group’s new 17,000 sq ft depot in North lanarkshire will serve as their regional hub and help it extend the reach of its shredding, recycling, and scanning services to a rapidly growing client base in Scotland. The site will also support the organisation’s environmental pledge by growing its innovative paper cup recycling service.
The service, which was first launched in 2018, is designed to encourage the commercial demand for recyclable coffee cups by facilitating their collection and recycling. Shredall SDS Group is providing a collection and recycling service for Scottish businesses using recyclable coffee cups in a bid to solve the growing problem that sees more than 2.5 billion coffee cups go to landfill in the UK each year.
Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: “A thriving circular economy presents enormous economic and industrial opportunities for Scotland, as well as significant environmental benefits. It can improve productivity and open up new markets while providing employment opportunities and lower cost options to access the goods we need.
“Single-use cups are a good example of the fact that no single measure will be effective on its own to reduce waste. Whether it is making the decision to switch from disposable to reusable cups or making sure cups are dealt with more effectively at the end of their life, we all need to do more to support a more circular economy and reduce our environmental impact.
“We all – be it government, business, industry and individuals – have a role to play in protecting our resources and materials and I welcome Shredall’s continued investment and commitment to driving recycling in Scotland.”
Nik Williams, Managing Director at Shredall SDS Group, said: “We were delighted to welcome Ms Cunningham to our new depot. Both myself and Brian McCulloch, Shredall Ltd Scotland General Manager, had the pleasure of showing Ms Cunningham around the site and discuss the increasing importance of commercial recycling in Scotland.
“Our investment in new machinery reflects our commitment to helping businesses transition to a circular economy, and it was good to see the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform take an interest in a business like ours.”
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