Actions aimed at ensuring households and businesses in Scotland boost reuse and recycling rates and cut waste have been published.
The Circular Economy and Waste Route Map sets out 11 priority areas where efforts and resources will be concentrated to support a transition to a circular economy – where resources are kept in use for as long as possible.
They include:
setting new circular economy targets
reducing the amount of food waste produced
developing a model for regional hubs and networks for the reuse of construction materials and assets
improving the provision of recycling and waste services
minimising the carbon impacts of the energy from waste sector
The Route Map is the product of extensive collaboration and engagement with the public, private and third sectors through two consultations since 2022, with consistently high levels of support for the proposals.
The overall recycling rate in Scotland is at its highest level since records began in 2011, and the actions in the Route Map complement provisions in the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024, which was passed unanimously by MSPs in June.
Acting Net Zero Secretary Gillian Martin launched the Route Map at a visit to Grassmarket Community Project in Edinburgh, which upcycles discarded wooden furniture into new items.
She said: “Reusing and recycling materials has a huge role to play in Scotland’s response to tackling the climate crisis.
“We must make the circular option, where we value materials and keep them in use for as long as possible, either in their original form or recycled, an easier choice for Scottish households, businesses and the public sector.
“The Route Map sets out an ambitious plan to help make this a reality and I want to thank all those who have contributed to its development.
“There have been consistently high levels of support for its actions, which promote and support responsible production and consumption, along with the sustainable management of Scotland’s resources – and the final route map will be key to supporting the Scottish Government’s net zero and economic growth goals.”
Helene van der Ploeg, CEO of the Grassmarket Community Project said: “We pride ourselves on our initiatives to repurpose, recycle and reuse through our wood workshop, and Tartan shop. Old furniture, church pews and fallen trees are donated and re-worked into beautiful pieces of furniture or small household items. Leftover tartan from weavers, and donated fabric scraps are handcrafted into beautiful gifts.
“These materials, once considered waste and destined for landfill, are now valuable contributors to the circular economy. Thanks to generous donations, we’re recycling these materials, giving them new purpose, and creating timeless treasures that will be passed down through generations.
“Along the way, we generate income, provide essential skills training for our members (beneficiaries) and volunteers, all of which embodies and reinforces the values of the Route Map and our commitment to the circular economy.”
People who live, work and visit Edinburgh can now ‘bin it to win it’ by taking a photo of their litter being binned and uploading it to the LitterLotto app.
The LitterLotto is being trialled in Edinburgh for a year, in partnership with Keep Scotland Beautiful, to encourage more people to help keep the Capital looking clean and tidy.
Each month, a prize draw will see one lucky person chosen at random to win a £100 cash prize. To enter, people aged 18 and over must download the free LitterLotto app to their mobile and upload photos of themselves binning rubbish in a City of Edinburgh Council street bin via the app’s camera function. Look out for the LitterLotto stickers on Council bins.
Councillor Stephen Jenkinson, Convener of the Transport and Environment Committee, said: “Our street cleansing teams are committed to keeping Edinburgh looking at its best. They are out tidying up the city 24/7 but we really need residents to help us by binning their litter appropriately when out and about enjoying our stunning Capital city.
“LitterLotto is a new fun initiative we are trialling to help nudge people to bring about positive behaviour change while at the same time some lucky person will win a cash prize every month. It’s easy to enter and so we’re delighted to be teaming up with Keep Scotland Beautiful on this.
“I’d like to thank everyone who already bins their litter appropriately as well as the hundreds of volunteers who help us each year giving up their precious time on various litter picks throughout the city.
“There are also many other ways residents can help us to keep the Capital clean. Always use the correct bins to dispose of household waste and if you have larger items book an appointment at one of our Household Waste Recycling Centres or organise to have a special uplift collection at your home.”
David Landsberg, founder and CEO of LitterLotto, said: “We’re proud to partner with Edinburgh City Council to inspire cleaner public spaces through engaging incentives that make binning litter rewarding.
“Working together really is making a difference – let’s keep binning and keeping your neighbourhood free of litter.”
Jacqui from southwest Edinburgh, winner of the November draw, said: “It wasn’t until lockdown that I really noticed how much litter people drop – perhaps folk don’t realise that those sweetie wrappers or cigarette butts wash down the drain, into the river and out to sea. So, I decided to do something positive and bought myself a litter picker and it went from there.
“I still head out on my own but each month I join fellow Water of Leith Conservation Trust volunteers trying to prevent plastic pollution travelling downstream – it’s so satisfying knowing that we are making a difference. Winning the random cash prize with the Council and LitterLotto was amazing – I never win anything!”
People can also enter as many times as they like, as long as it’s different litter each time being deposited into a City of Edinburgh Council street bin. As well as a monthly Edinburgh cash prize, entrants will be entered into the weekly national £1,000 draw. The winners will be chosen at random by LitterLotto.
A new approach to development and the environment will boost the number of homes being built
Measures will create a ‘win-win’ for nature and the economy, accelerating economic and environmental growth.
Rules will focus on driving up environmental outcomes over rigid processes that block and delay development, with developers able to pay into a fund for improvements to nature as a quicker and simpler way of meeting their environmental obligations.
Measures to turbocharge housebuilding have been set out (15 December) as part of wider proposals for the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill. The Bill will play a key role in promoting economic growth, unlocking a new scale of delivery for housing and infrastructure.
Common sense changes to environmental rules will support the Government’s commitment to build 1.5 million homes and advance 150 major infrastructure project decisions, while also helping halt and reverse the decline of species and natural habitats.
A new Nature Restoration Fund would enable developers to meet their environmental obligations more quickly and with greater impact – accelerating the building of homes and improving the environment.
Currently developers may need to secure mitigation for environmental harm before being granted planning permission.
This adds cost, delays and can entirely block the housing and infrastructure our country needs – with rules too focused on preserving the status quo instead of supporting growth and charting a course to nature recovery.
Under these reforms, developers will instead be able to pay into the fund allowing building to proceed immediately – quicker, simpler, and more certain that the broken status quo.
A delivery body, such as Natural England, will then take responsibility for securing positive environmental outcomes, for example, delivering a reduction in nutrient pollution affecting the water environment or securing habitats to increase the population of a protected species.
This represents a shift away from a broken system which has stifled development, growth and nature recovery for far too long – failing communities and the environment.
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Angela Rayner said: “Getting Britain building means stripping away unnecessary barriers to growth to deliver the homes that we so desperately need.
“For years, vital housing and infrastructure projects have been tied up in red tape leaving communities without the homes, infrastructure and jobs they need.
“Our Plan for Change will put an end to the status quo while restoring nature. It’s win-win for development and our environment, including targeted reforms allowing us to use the economic benefits of growth to fund tangible and targeted action for nature’s recovery.”
Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: “We were elected on a mandate to get Britain building again and protect nature.
“But the status quo is blocking the building of homes and failing to protect the environment.
“These reforms will allow tens of thousands of homes to be built while protecting the natural environment we all depend on.”
The proposals set out three steps the government will take to help developers get building while delivering their environmental obligations in a more sensible and strategic way.
This approach will mean developers don’t have to pay for individual site level assessments for the matters covered by the Nature Restoration Fund – which adds cost and delay – and will no longer have to deliver mitigation needed.
A single payment will enable development to proceed. A delivery body will then take the actions needed to drive nature recovery at a strategic, not site-by-site, scale:
Government will lead a single strategic assessment and delivery plan for an area – not an individual site – which will allow decisions to be made at an appropriate geographic scale. The current process is uncertain and costly, with assessments on issues such as nutrient neutrality requiring bespoke calculations and significant technical expertise at the level of each individual project. This also misses the opportunity to support the best outcomes for nature.
A public delivery body will consider which actions are needed to address the environmental impact of development across an appropriate area and determine how much developers will pay into the Nature Restoration Fund. The delivery body will secure the actions funded by developers, removing the need for actions to be taken on a case by case basis.
Contributions will be secured from developers to fully fund nature recovery actions. This would enable developers to meet certain environmental obligations through a single payment into the Nature Restoration Fund – which would streamline the process and maximise the impact of money spent on nature by directing it to real world action instead of paperwork and process.
The proposals are set out in a working paper, which seeks views from stakeholders including communities, housing and clean power developers, nature service providers and local authorities. Feedback from the working paper will inform the next stage of policy development.
Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England, said: “It is evident that we need to take urgent action to address the worsening decline of nature, and we must also lean into the challenges posed by housing shortages.
“We will continue to work with the Government to help deliver their plans – but the two key issues of today, nature and economic recovery, should not be pitted against one another, as we step up efforts to avoid losing what protected remnants of nature remain while also restoring some of what has gone.
“Instead, we should consider the huge opportunities which can be unlocked through better strategic planning which considers environmental improvements, economic development and green spaces for public enjoyment on a landscape scale.”
Commenting on the National Planning Policy Framework, countryside charity CPRE chief executive Roger Mortlock said: “‘The broken housebuilding market is to blame for the painfully slow delivery of much-needed new homes. When big housebuilders deliberately limit the supply of new homes to maximise their profits, supercharging the current system will not lead to the change the government is looking for.
‘The government’s plans risk a huge hike in the number of unaffordable, car-dependent homes. Building on England’s 1.2 million shovel-ready brownfield sites would do far more to unlock growth, regenerate communities and provide sustainable, genuinely affordable new homes.
‘We welcome the commitment to local plans and affordable homes. However, local authorities responsible for delivering new homes will be swamped with speculative applications on high-quality Green Belt and farmland. Inevitably, many of these will be approved to meet nationally imposed targets.
‘The ‘grey belt’ policy needs to be much more clearly defined and exclude working farms. It will undermine the Green Belt, one of this country’s most successful spatial protections with huge potential to help address the climate and nature emergencies.
‘There’s some hope ahead with plans for a strategy that covers all our use of land. Longer-term commitments to build genuinely affordable and better designed homes are welcome too. Until then,, our countryside will remain needlessly under threat.’
The government would use the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to introduce legislative changes to drive action at a strategic level which will provide certainty for both developers and the environment.
This will also establish a more efficient and effective way for Habitats Regulations and other environmental obligations to be discharged, pooling individual contributions to deliver the strategic interventions necessary to drive nature recovery.
More than 1,200 hectares of degraded rainforest habitat are now on the road to recovery thanks to Scottish Government funding.
Almost £5 million has already been invested in rainforest restoration since 2023 and a further £5 million for ongoing restoration efforts was allocated as part of the draft 2025/26 Budget.
Scotland’s rainforest is a type of coastal temperate rainforest which is incredibly rare and as internationally significant as tropical rainforest.
On a visit to Sallochy Forest, Rural Affairs Secretary @MairiGougeon welcomed the rainforest restoration work already being done across Scotland and announced a further £5 million funding in the draft 2025-26 Budget to continue this vital work.
Scottish Government funding is already supporting the work to protect and enhance the important habitat by:
Recruiting apprentices and new entrants to the industry to support removal of non-native species like Rhododendron and regenerating conifers.
Regenerating and reconnecting ancient designated Caledonian pine forests and other surviving rainforest remnants in Loch Arkaig
Collaborative working with Forestry Land Scotland, Argyll Countryside Trust and the Woodland Trust to restore 2,000 hectares in the Knapdale priority rainforest area
Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon welcomed the rainforest restoration work being done by a range of partners across the country during a visit to Sallochy Forest, a site managed by Forestry Land Scotland.
Ms Gougeon said: “Scotland is home to its own temperate rainforest boasting a variety of rare species and habitats. We are already delivering work to protect and expand this precious environment and this additional funding of £5 million will help us to go further faster.
“Protecting our rainforests is essential to tackling our biodiversity crisis but is also an important step in helping Scotland on its journey to net zero by 2045.
“Rainforest restoration needs to be done at a landscape scale, in partnership with organisations, landowners and land managers, and this funding will help to develop and deliver a range of collaborative projects.”
Capital investment almost trebled to unlock private sector growth
Record funding of £150 million capital investment from the Scottish Government will support the growth of the offshore wind sector and support thousands of well-paid, green jobs across Scotland over the next decade.
Overall strategic investment of up to £500 million over five years is expected to boost private investment in the sector by up to £1.5 billion and unlock opportunities for growth in a variety of industries in key areas from ports, manufacturing and assembly work to major supply chain opportunities.
The 2025-26 Scottish Budget also sets out a commitment to establish an offshore wind hub in the North-East to provide an additional route for industry to engage with policy teams.
The investment follows the recent publication of the Green Industrial Strategy which highlighted Scotland’s wind economy as one of five priority areas to secure growth and investment.
Acting Net Zero and Energy Secretary Gillian Martin said: “Accelerating Scotland’s offshore wind capabilities presents enormous economic opportunities for our country.
“Our vast resources provide us with significant opportunity to create thousands of well-paid, green jobs across Scotland while accelerating our journey to net zero. We must maximise the economic benefits from offshore wind deployment if we are to ensure a just transition that takes our existing skilled workforce and supply chain with us.
“This significant investment will help boost innovation and expertise in the sector, create a highly productive and competitive economy and deliver a sustainable supply chain that will benefit all of Scotland for decades to come.
“We will work with industry and public sector partners to ensure we identify and deliver the best projects at pace.”
Claire Mack, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said: “The renewable energy industry is pleased that the Scottish Government will increase the next tranche of its funding commitment to the offshore wind supply chain. It is also encouraging to see the revenues from ScotWind directly utilised for clean industrial growth.
“We will work closely with the Scottish Government to help shape how this funding can be used as part of the wider investment landscape in order to secure the flow of significant private capital into the infrastructure that will help Scotland optimise the opportunity brought by offshore wind.”
The Roseburn to Union Canal active travel route was officially opened on Monday (9 December) with an inaugural group cycle ride and walk from Sauchiebank to Dalry Community Park.
Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson was joined by Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop and Scotland Director for Sustrans, Karen McGregor alongside groups of local schoolchildren and representatives of the Dalry community, to cut the red ribbon marking the opening.
There were also stalls from partners at Police Scotland, Spokes, Soul Cycles and the Council’s Active Travel team.
The £17m project has transformed public spaces along the route, creating a green corridor with enhanced walking, wheeling and cycling connections alongside bringing disused areas back into community use.
Dalry Community Park itself is one of the greenspaces that has been upgraded with new play equipment after consultation with pupils at Dalry Primary School. We’ve also installed two new bridges along the route over the Mid Calder railway line and Dalry Road.
Along the route we’ve planted 200 semi-mature trees with further planting and seeding planned for spring 2025. This will create a healthier and more diverse woodland which will enhance the area’s ecological value.
Community gardens are planned for the Sauchiebank area, and a new toucan crossing has been installed across the West Approach Road to connect to Dundee Street.
The route also links to one of our other flagship active travel projects, the City Centre West to East Link along with the other established paths networks in the local area.
Sustrans Scotland’s Places for Everyone programme, which is funded by the Scottish Government, financed 100% of the design costs and up to 70% of construction costs totalling £11.6m. The Council financed the remaining £5.4m and led on the project’s delivery.
Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said:“It was a real pleasure to open the brand new Roseburn to Union Canal active travel route today. This project will breathe new life into Dalry, revitalising previously less used community spaces and the community play park, whilst making it easier and safer for residents and visitors to get around and keep Edinburgh moving.
“Expanding active travel routes in the Capital is a key priority for us and remains central to our goal of becoming a net zero city by 2030, by providing people with more options for safe, sustainable travel. I have no doubt that this route will be a great success as we carry on with delivering a greener, healthier, and more sustainable city for all.
“I’d also like to thank all our excellent colleagues for their hard work and to Transport Scotland and Sustrans who have been instrumental in seeing this project completed.”
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop said: “I was delighted to take part in the official opening of the Roseburn to Union Canal active travel route and to celebrate with local schoolchildren and residents who will benefit – not only from the path, but through the improved public spaces also.
“£11.6 million of Scottish Government funding was awarded to the Roseburn to Union Canal active travel project through the Sustrans Places for Everyone programme.
“Ambitious projects such as this are making it easier for people to walk, wheel and cycle – tackling poverty and protecting the environment – but there is so much more we wish to achieve.
“Over £155 million has been invested this year and through the Draft Budget for 2025-26, we intend to invest over £188 million to help people leave their cars at home and to choose healthier and greener transport options.
Scotland Director for Sustrans, Karen McGregor added:“We’re very pleased that the Roseburn to Union Canal Path is now open to the public.
“Safer routes for walking, wheeling and cycling save lives. The current lack of off-road cycling connections in our cities is the biggest challenge facing people who want to travel actively.
“The evidence shows that in providing convenient and accessible links away from traffic, we are giving more people the confidence to make healthier and more sustainable journeys. Protected routes like the Roseburn to Union Canal Path do just that, enabling those living and working in Edinburgh to get around with ease.”
Online marketplaces and vape producers to pay for recycling and cleaning up of household electrical waste
Online marketplaces and vape producers will soon be paying their fair share towards the cost of recycling waste electricals, from toasters to vapes and hair curlers, levelling the playing field for UK retailers, Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh has announced.
Ensuring large online retailers pay their fair share is fairer for UK businesses who already pay to cover the costs of recycling. It comes as the government delivers on its Plan for Change, and reflects a further step in the government’s mission to boost growth.
The changes will also help fund recycling services and kick-start the country on the road to a circular economy, which is a priority for the Government.
Before now, UK-based firms were shouldering the majority of costs around collection and processing of electronic waste and operating at a disadvantage. With 100,000 tonnes of household electricals binned every year, the changes will for the first time make sure the burden of these costs does not unduly fall on UK based retailers compared to their online rivals.
Waste electricals are difficult to recycle – and represent a huge drain on resources, when they are not collected separately. Valuable metals – such as copper – are chucked away needlessly, while electrical components and chemicals can pose a health and safety risk to the waste industry.
In conjunction with this government’s wider actions to tackle waste and end the throwaway society, today’s announcement will help to ensure that businesses take responsibility for the huge quantities of waste that might otherwise end up being littered or fly-tipped, and support our efforts to protect the environment.
Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh said: “Electrical equipment like vapes are being sold in the UK by producers who are failing to pay their fair share when recycling and reusing of dealing with old or broken items.
“Today we’re ending this: creating a level playing field for all producers of electronics, to ensure fairness and fund the cost of the treatment of waste electricals.
“As part of our Plan for Change, we are helping UK businesses compete and grow, and we continue to get more households recycling, cracking down on waste and ending the throwaway society.”
Alex Baldock, CEO at Currys, said:“We believe that if you sell something, this comes with a commitment to help keep it working, and then to recycle it responsibly when it reaches the end of its life. We continue to do everything we can to give tech a longer life, but there are many who don’t.
“We welcome the Government’s new measures to help level the playing field for responsibility for waste, making online marketplaces do their part. Low value, low quality and unsustainable tech is piling up in landfills, and it’s good to see Government doing something to tackle that.
“We’ll continue to work with them to help ensure our industry performs its important role in helping protect our planet and be a force for good.
Scott Butler, Executive Director at Material Focus, said: “We welcome the Government’s vital new reforms to the waste electrical regulations. FastTech items such as vapes, have swamped the UK market, with half a billion items bought in the past year alone. These small, cheap and too easily thrown away items contain valuable materials such as copper, gold, and lithium which are lost forever and could instead power our tech future.
“These changes to regulations will mean that online marketplaces, many of which are selling FastTech and other electricals, must take on their producer responsibilities and contribute their share of the costs of recycling them.
“Creating a separate category for vapes also means that those who have been profiting from the boom in their sales can be held responsible for providing public takeback, communications and most importantly pay for recycling them.”
Research from Material Focus estimates that British households incorrectly throw away over 100,000 tonnes of smaller household electrical items, such as kettles and lamps, every year. In addition, an estimated 880 million unwanted items containing valuable commodities such as gold and platinum, are abandoned or ignored in the back of the UK’s cupboards and drawers.
Under the plans, online marketplaces will need to register with the Environment Agency and report data on UK sales of their overseas sellers. This data will be used to calculate the financial contribution the online marketplace will make towards the costs of collection and treatment of waste electricals that are collected by local authorities and returned to retailers. The cost of that annual registration will be subject to a consultation led by the Environment Agency.
A new category of electrical equipment for vapes will also be introduced to ensure that the costs of collecting and treating vapes fall fairly on those who produce them.
Material Focus found almost 5 million vapes are either littered or thrown away in general waste every week in the UK. Vapes are rarely designed with the end of life in mind and are difficult and time consuming to recycle, a cost that is not always being borne by those who produce them.
Acting on these important issues now will help address unfairness and deliver on our commitment to kick-start the push towards a circular economy.
UK Government action to end the throwaway society
To further deliver this, the UK Government has formed a Circular Economy Taskforce, comprising of members from industry, academia, and civil society across the UK. They will lead on the development of a Circular Economy Strategy for England, which will be published next year outlining how individual sectors can contribute to ambitions in this area.
This is alongside plans to move forward with the implementation of the deposit return scheme for drinks containers and extended producer responsibility for packaging that will end the nation’s throwaway culture and stop the avalanche of rubbish that is filling up our high streets, countryside, and oceans.
These packaging reforms will collectively support 21,000 jobs, stimulate more than £10 billion investment in recycling capability during the next decade, and drive £1 billion worth of investment opportunities in plastics infrastructure.
Discussions between the UK Government and devolved governments on other proposals from the consultation will continue. Plans for wider reforms that reflect their strategic priorities in the drive towards a circular economy across the UK will be set out next year.
French state-owned energy company EDF has announced it will keep four ageing nuclear power stations in Britain open for longer than planned.
EDF said two stations currently due to close in March 2026 — Hartlepool and Heysham 1 — will now remain online until March 2027, while Heysham 2 and Torness – scheduled to close in March 2028 – will now stay open until March 2030.
Responding to EDF’s announcement that they plan to extend the life of Torness nuclear power station Sam Richards, CEO of pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade, said:“The news that EDF is moving ahead with extending the life of Torness nuclear power station is hugely welcome news.
“If the government and industry is to deliver a clean energy grid by 2030 it is essential that we keep as much nuclear capacity as possible on the grid. If we fail to do this the result will be the burning of more natural gas and more emissions released into the atmosphere.
“EDF’s intentions are now clear. Ministers and the Office for Nuclear Regulation now need to urgently back their plans to extend the life of existing reactors where it is safe to do so. We have done it before, and we can do it again.
“With this announcement ministers must not take their eyes off the ball and continue to push for the rapid development of Small Modular Reactors to run alongside their bigger cousins.
“They must also increase grid capacity and slash the time it takes for clean energy projects to get connected to the grid. Extending our existing reactors is a big step, but it’s not job done.”
New figures reveal an ongoing pollution problem from bee-killing pesticides in English rivers.
85% of rivers tested in 2023 – 2024 were found to have bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides present, with the proportion affected seeming to have risen slightly from previous years.
Campaigners call on the Government to deliver a step change on river pollution, enforce and extend neonicotinoid bans, better resourced regulators to make polluters pay, and ensure nature-friendly farm payments which incentivise a transition to pesticide-free approaches.
The calls come after thousands of people marched the streets of London to protest the state of UK rivers and seas in The March For Clean Water on 3 November.
A new analysis of the latest official data from the Environment Agency has uncovered widespread river pollution linked to toxic neonicotinoid pesticides (neonics), known for their harmful effects on bees.
The data suggests a slight increase in the proportion of rivers affected over the past two years. These findings emerge as the government considers granting a controversial ‘emergency’ authorisation for the use of a banned bee-killing pesticide on sugar beet crops.
The analysis from the Rivers Trust and Wildlife and Countryside Link showed that:
1 or more harmful neonics were found in 85% of English river sites between 2023-2024 (23 of 27 surface water sites tested for neonics by the Environment Agency). The proportion of rivers affected seems to have increased – In 2020-2022 neonics were present in 79% of river sites tested by the regulator (34 of 43 sites).[1]
Areas where sugar beet farming and processing is concentrated (particularly the East Midlands and East of England) had some of the highest detection rates of neonics in samples tested, and have many of the rivers with the highest number of neonics detected. The South West and South East had the highest overall neonic detection rate, in 54% and 41% of samples respectively.
The largest numbers of neonics were found at single sites on the River Waveney and River Wensum in the East Midlands, where all 5 of the neonics analysed for were detected. Other sites that had high numbers of neonics detected included the River Nene, River Ouse and River Ivel in the East of England, River Lugg, River Tame and River Teme in the West Midlands, Sincil Dyke and the River Dove in the East Midlands, River Ouse and Ancholm in Yorks and Humber, River Test in the South East, River Chelt in the South West and the River Douglas in the North West.
Only 27 river sites across the whole of England were tested for neonics in 2023-24, down from 43 sites in 2020-2022, a fall of over a third (37%) in the number of sites tested. Nature charities warn that this is an indicative sign of the worsening resources of the Environment Agency and the resulting decline in river monitoring by the regulator.
Two pesticides, Clothianidin and Imidacloprid, are by far the most prevalent neonics (both found at 29 of 45 river sites tested between 2020-2024 – 64.4%).
Clothianidin is a neonicotinoid in its own right but is also a breakdown product of Thiamethoxam – the banned pesticide permitted for ‘emergency use’ by the sugar industry for the last 4 years by the previous Conservative Government.
Imidacloprid is banned for use on crops but is still used in tick and flea treatments, with pet and livestock use the likely main cause of Imidacloprid pollution in our rivers.
Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “The extensive presence of potent pesticides in rivers is another smoking gun in the hands of intensive agriculture and the decline of nature.
“The Labour Party has pledged to end emergency authorisations of the use of banned neonicotinoid pesticides and to halve the risk of pesticide pollution by 2030. The sugar industry has again applied for emergency authorisation to use Cruiser SB coated sugar beet seeds and if approved this would make the 5th year in a row of ‘emergency’ use of neonicotinoids.
!The Government must surely deny the request and redouble farming reforms to offer generous support for farmers who cut right down on chemical use.”
Barnaby Coupe, senior land use policy manager at the Wildlife Trusts, said: “The UK Government’s pledge to end the emergency use of these bee-killing pesticides must be signed into law.
“Pollinating insects like bees are the foundation of a healthy ecosystem and essential for pollinating crops. These chemicals are banned because they are extremely harmful for soils, water, wildlife and human health.
“The evidence is clear that the environmental risks from neonicotinoids are far too great – there is no place in modern society for them to be used.”
Dr Rob Collins, Director of Policy and Science at the Rivers Trust, said: “The widespread presence of neonicotinoid pesticides in rivers raises alarm bells for the health of our freshwater ecosystems and contributes to the huge cocktail of chemicals afflicting rivers, derived from agriculture, industry, transport and our homes and businesses.
“We need to see greater resources made available to monitor chemicals in the environment and systemic change that delivers a much more sustainable approach to their use, right across society.”
In its election manifesto the Labour Party pledged to end emergency authorisations of the use of banned neonicotinoid pesticides. Yet British Sugar, which has a monopoly on the UK sugar industry, has again applied for emergency authorisation to use Cruiser SB coated sugar beet seeds, and the Government has yet to confirm whether it will deny the request.
If approved this would make the 5th year in a row ‘emergency’ use of neonicotinoids is approved on sugar beet crops.
Cruiser SB is based on the pesticide Thiamethoxam. Not only is the neonicotinoid pesticide Thiamethoxam highly toxic to bees (with one teaspoonful of such neonicotinoids able to kill 1.25 billion bees) there are also many farmers who recognise we should be moving away from its use.
With 40% of sugar farmers choosing not to use this product even when it is authorised, demonstrating farmers are deciding their crops and yields can cope without banned pesticides.
There is also massive public opposition to the emergency authorisations of neonicotinoids for use by the sugar industry. Multiple environment charities have had huge responses to petitions about neonicotinoids.
A current petition from Greenpeace alone is running at 1.6 million signatures, with members of the public encouraged to sign the petition ahead of it being handed in to Government imminently:
Dr Doug Parr, Policy Director at Greenpeace UK, said: “Scientists are clear that neonicotinoids are killing bees and other pollinators while threatening our nature and food security.
“We now have worrying new findings about these pesticides polluting our waterways and harming the life in our rivers.
“Before the election Labour pledged to stop further use of bee poisons and, with the public overwhelmingly in support, they simply must stand by their promises.
“Now Labour are in the hot seat of government they can take the initiative by supporting farmers to transition away from these chemicals, backing essential clean food production and ensuring that nature can recover.”
Paul de Zylva, senior sustainability analyst at Friends of the Earth, said: “Our rivers and freshwaters are under assault from pesticides, which are too often overlooked as pollutants.
“Pesticide firms and the intensive farm industry claim that banning harmful pesticides would cause crop failures and job losses, but this simply hasn’t happened.
“Nutritious, plentiful food can be grown without relying on quick-fix chemicals that clearly harm the nation’s soils and wildlife.
“That’s why Labour must stick to its pledge to end the use of these unnecessary and highly damaging pesticides, and ensure its independent water review fully addresses pollution from industrial and agricultural chemicals.”
Josie Cohen, Head of Policy and Campaigns, Pesticide Action Network UK, said:“The previous UK Government banned neonics in 2018 because of the harms they cause to pollinators.
“When in opposition, Labour were very supportive of the ban and criticised the Conservatives harshly for repeatedly granting emergency permissions for sugar beat. Despite all their warm words about restoring nature, it now seems possible that our new Government will follow their predecessors’ leads in allowing an emergency authorisation which prioritises corporate interests over the environment.
“If Labour want voters to believe they are serious about protecting nature then they must end the use of all neonics in any circumstances.”
Amy Fairman, Head of Campaigns, River Action said:“There’s a toxic cocktail of pollutants stirring in our rivers with pesticides a dangerous part of the mix.
“We need to ensure that the agricultural, chemical and sewage contamination dirtying our rivers, lakes and seas is taken off the menu for good. And that can only be achieved by much tougher legislation, regulation, and enforcement to make sure polluting doesn’t pay!
“Tens of thousands of people and over 140 organisations joined us in flooding the streets on 3 November on the March for Clean Water disgusted at the state of our rivers and seas. The Government must heed the public outrage on this issue and deliver on its promises to turn the tide on the state of our waters.”
Environmental charities are urging the Government to:
Fulfil promises to make water polluters pay, including giving the pollution watchdog – the Environment Agency – stronger teeth. Years of underinvestment have left the regulator overstretched and under-resourced to monitor water pollution and enforce the law.
Ensure nature-friendly farm payments incentivise and support land managers to transition to pesticide-free approaches and increase the use of nature-friendly alternatives.
Fulfil Labour manifesto promises to permanently ban ‘emergency’ neonicotinoid authorisations for crops by putting this into law and ban the use of key harmful neonicotinoids in flea and tick treatments. These chemicals are already banned for use on crops, due to their hazards, so should also be prevented from ending up in our waters from pet and livestock parasite treatments.
Deliver structural reform of the water sector, with tough targets and action plans for water pollution as part of the water review, including: strengthening the Water Framework Directive regulations; toughening polluter pays approaches including ring-fencing fines for nature’s recovery; and accelerating and expanding the use of green pollution solutions.
Energy consumption has plummeted at one of Edinburgh’s biggest hostels as the result of a pilot programme designed to keep costs down for visitors while improving sustainability.
After the success of the innovative energy saving programme at Edinburgh Central Hostel, Hostelling Scotland is now exploring how to roll out the energy saving programme across their portfolio of larger hostels which are open all year round.
The ‘Eyes on the Energy’ trial came after Hostelling Scotland was introduced to energy monitoring solutions company, Energy Saving Bear through Royal Bank of Scotland.
The partnership saw the hostel install high-tech sensors to measure electricity usage throughout the premises, allowing the team to pinpoint exactly where and how much energy was being consumed or wasted and providing a clear foundation for developing effective energy-saving solutions.
The project, which is on track to achieve a return on investment in less than six months, has already resulted in a 19% drop in consumption in just four months.
Margo Paterson, CEO of Hostelling Scotland, said: “The results of this trial could be transformative for our Edinburgh Central Hostel – and hostels across Scotland.
“With energy prices affecting the sector, we are on a mission to make travelling in Scotland accessible and affordable to visitors. The beauty of hostelling is how it provides opportunities to a wider group of people to explore more of what our beautiful country has to offer.
“As an organisation, we are always experimenting with ways to make sure we give people the chance to travel while reducing their impact on the environment. We’re very pleased to see this trial showed significant energy savings and reduced carbon emissions.”
Located at the top of Leith Walk, Edinburgh Central Hostel is in a prime city centre location and is visited by travellers from across the globe looking for a budget stay, as well as being a place for carers and Parent Network Scotland to use for respite breaks. It also enables youth programmes to give disadvantaged young people the opportunity to see part of the country they might not have been able to.
Kevin Havelock, Head of Commercial Mid Markets at Royal Bank of Scotland, added: “By introducing Hostelling Scotland, our long-standing customer, to Jamie and the team at Energy Saving Bear, we empowered them to harness smart technology and innovative solutions.
“This collaborative effort led to a deeper understanding of energy consumption patterns and inspired a cultural shift towards sustainable practices.
“The early success of this partnership is a testament to the strength of collaboration. By uniting efforts and sharing a common purpose, we have achieved significant results.”
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