Tag: waste

Scotland’s deposit return scheme passed by parliament

The Scottish Parliament has voted to approve regulations which will establish Scotland’s Deposit Scheme to boost recycling of single-use drinks containers.

The scheme will see people pay a 20p deposit on metal cans and PET plastic and glass bottles, refunded when they’re returned for recycling.

The final regulations, which were laid in the Scottish Parliament in March, maintain the ambitious approach to materials, with glass included alongside PET plastic and aluminium and steel.

Following consultation with island communities, feedback from the Scottish Parliament’s Environment Committee and stakeholder input, the Scottish Government made changes to the regulations.

These include a commitment to review the performance of the scheme by October 2026, including the deposit level, materials and the collection targets.

Zero Waste Scotland has been advising the Scottish Government on the design of the scheme, which builds on evidence from successful international schemes and the response to the Scottish Government’s public consultation.

Zero Waste Scotland’s Chief Operating Officer, Jill Farrell, says the scheme will be a “game-changer” for recycling and the circular economy in Scotland.

“By giving people an extra incentive to do something good for our environment, and having a consistent approach across Scotland, it will be easier for all of us to do the right thing”, she said. “This will improve the volume and quality of recycling and help tackle litter in the process.

“With a huge network of places to return your bottles and cans, it will be just as easy to return a drink as it is to buy one in the first place. I’m proud of Zero Waste Scotland’s role in advising the Scottish Government on this design, which has resulted in a blueprint for a world-class scheme.”

The Scottish Government has also published the Stage 1 Full Business Case for the scheme. This document, which provides the overarching framework for the preferred scheme design and commercial approach, can be access on the Scottish Government website.

Now that the scheme has passed into law, details on how to apply to become a scheme administrator(s) that will run Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme will be available shortly.

Until the deposit return scheme is up and running, as Scotland continues to tackle coronavirus, consumers should follow the latest government and local authority advice on dealing with recycling and waste items.

You can find help and guidance on managingourwaste.scot which includes our simple and practical advice on how to manage your waste effectively to help ease the pressure on our essential services.

You can also find lots of useful recycling and waste reduction hints and tips on the new How To Waste Less website.

 

Halloween waste: Pumpkins and fancy dress heading “straight to Britain’s bins”

Up to 18,000 tons to be thrown out by the end of the big day

Hundreds of thousands of pumpkins, single use fancy dress clothes and plastic tat will be thrown into Britain’s bins by the end of the Hallowe’en festivities. Continue reading Halloween waste: Pumpkins and fancy dress heading “straight to Britain’s bins”

Brown Bin Permits are in the post

Residents who have signed up for the next garden waste service year in Edinburgh have started to receive their permit stickers through the post.

A total of 68,705 households registered for the fortnightly brown bin collections during the six-week sign-up period over the summer.

More than 75,000 individual permits were applied for, meaning a proportion of applicants paid for more than one brown bin.

Residents who have signed up to the service are urged to get in touch with the Council if they haven’t received their permits by Monday evening [30 September].

Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “We’re almost at the start of our new service year for garden waste collections, so if you signed up over the summer, look out for your permit sticker landing on your doormat in the coming days.

“Last year, green-minded residents helped us send more than 9,000 tonnes of garden waste to be turned into compost for gardens, parks and farmland and we hope to recycle even more this coming service year.”

The next opportunity to sign up to the garden waste service will take place between 20 January and 3 February 2020.

UK requires an immediate ban on single use products

Eight worst landfill offenders revealed

Certain items should be banned immediately to prevent further damage the environment, according to business waste and recycling experts BusinessWaste.co.uk .

While the impact of single-use plastics is being discussed more visibly, actual change has been slow. The introduction of a 5p charge for plastic bags saw a dramatic reduction in the number of new bags issued by retailers, but still saw 500 million bags issued in six months after the scheme was rolled out – still equivalent to 4,000 tonnes of new plastic.

Similarly, many chain restaurants have announced their intention to introduce paper, rather than plastic, straws, following the Government’s announcement that they would soon ban the sale of plastic straws – but many outlets are still using plastic, 6 months away from the proposed implementation of the ban.

There are, research by BusinessWaster.co.uk and studies have shown, a number of items whose use – and subsequent disposal – create an unjustifiable amount of plastic waste.

Here, we look at the worst offenders (and some alternatives):

Plastic bags

Plastic bags take 10-20 years to break down in the environment – unlike a water-soluble alternative developed in Chile, which (despite looking identical to a traditional carrier bag) dissolves once stirred into water, removing the need for landfill-clogging plastics.

Disposable nappies

Taking a horrifying 450 years to break down, disposable nappies are one of the worst offenders for single-use plastic – and, as many contain moisture-locking gels, can have other unintended ill-effects once dumped in landfill. However, reusable cloth nappies are now widely available, and have been found to be better for babies’ skin – making for happier babies and more eco-friendly parents.

Fishing line

An unusual entry, but with 1.2 million fishing licences issued for 2015-16 (the most recent year for which data is available), there are millions of miles of plastic fishing line (which takes 600 years to break down) bought and discarded each year. Banning this would not stop angling enthusiasts, however – dissolvable fishing line has been developed which eventually breaks down in water, meaning fishing fans can still hook their catch of the day without adding to landfill!

Cigarette butts

By now, everyone is aware that smoking itself is dangerous – and banning it outright would contribute dramatically to an improvement in public health. But plastic cigarette filters, which are discarded once a smoker finishes their crafty smoking break, take between 1 and 5 years to break down in landfill. However, with improved support for smoking cessation and reusable vaping technology available, there are alternatives for those who are addicted and struggling to quit.

Plastic bottles

Taking up to 450 years to break down, plastic bottles are a prime offender – and banning them could see the continued increase of reusable water containers, which have seen a dramatic increase in sales in recent years. Many of these are more durable plastics, or aluminium, and therefore can be used for many years before needing recycling.

Styrofoam

Horrifyingly, there are no indications for how long this widely-used packaging material takes to break down after it has been discarded – causing a potentially massive headache for the environment, as online shopping (and therefore carefully-packed parcels) reaches new heights each year. However, there are eco-friendly alternatives. From bamboo fibre packaging to cardboard ‘packing peanuts’, there are a wealth of cushioning options for your brand new TV to be delivered safely.

Aluminium cans

While aluminium cans are recyclable, many local authorities lack the capacity to actually do so – and many millions of drinks cans are sent to landfill each year. However, as they can take up 200 years to break down, drinks retailers could consider more eco-friendly options if they were banned – such as reusable glass containers or even recyclable cardboard cartons.

BusinessWaste.co.uk spokesperson Mark Hall said:

“We truly believe that there cannot be significant change to the amount of single-use plastic – and other materials – going to landfill without equally significant action. Banning these products might seem like a big step, but as we’ve shown, there are plenty of eco-friendly alternatives.

“The best way to encourage businesses to innovate and find better ways of manufacturing is to create demand for it, and that’s what we believe a ban on these items would do. The general public are now more aware of green issues than ever and we feel that there would be widespread support for a bold move towards improving our environmental credentials.”

 

Should we be sending dirty nappies in the post instead of crisp packets?

SOS beachwatch
Last week, environmental protesters have hit the headlines for posting their empty crisp packets back to the UK’s largest crisp makers, Walkers – but ready salted snacks aren’t the only offenders. Continue reading Should we be sending dirty nappies in the post instead of crisp packets?

Household recycling is causing “fatbergs”

Nappies, fatbergs, rubbish due to recycling waste costing a fortune to clear

People who cause blocked sewers through flushing away inappropriate items and substances should pay fines to compensate for the clean-up costs. That’s the opinion of the UKs waste management agency which says that man-made blockages cost water companies millions of pounds every year, cause floods and are a potential health risk. Continue reading Household recycling is causing “fatbergs”

Greenpeace: Britian must turn the tide on throwaway plastic

On the day Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a high-profile speech on the environment to coincide with the publication of Defra’s 25-year plan for nature, Greenpeace UK executive director John Suaven has called for action, not words, to tackle critical environmental challenges. Continue reading Greenpeace: Britian must turn the tide on throwaway plastic