New national litter strategy launched in Scotland

The Scottish Government has announced the launch of a new national strategy to reduce litter and flytipping, and ‘support cleaner, safer communities’.

‘Towards a Litter-free Scotland’, which is proposed to cover a five-year period, will be the first of its kind in Scotland since devolution.

It is suggested that the new strategy could help to demonstrate how Scotland can ‘benefit from better environmental quality and safer, moreprosperous communities’ by reducing litter and flytipped waste through increased recycling rates. 

“One in five adults admit to littering and we need this to change”

Environment Secretary, Richard Lochhead, highlighted need for change, saying: “Scotland is a beautiful country and we all have to play our part and take personal responsibility to keep it that way.

“One in five adults admit to littering and we need this to change. Instead of throwing rubbish away - everything from sweetie wrappers to mattresses - I urge everyone to do the right thing and dispose of waste properly.”

He continued: “250 million bits of visible litter are dropped each year, with 50 tonnes of litter cleared up from the sides of Scotland’s motorways each month alone.”

The Scottish Government identifies that littering and flytipping not only ‘damages the environment’ but also ‘poses a risk to public health’. According to statistics from Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS), it costs at least £53M to tackle the effects of littering and flytipping in Scotland each year.

Potential to save £1.2M through recycling

Lochhead commented: “Littering is literally throwing money away, especially when you consider that discarded plastic bottles, aluminium cans and other materials would have been worth an estimated £1.2 million when recycled.

“Working towards a litter-free Scotland will benefit individuals and society, our environment and the economy. This strategy sets out how the Scottish Government is providing leadership on waste prevention, working with our partners to reduce litter and increase recycling.”

Lochhead also referenced plans for a “forthcoming marine litter strategy”.

“Litter has no place in a zero waste society”

The Scottish Government is delivering the new strategy alongside their ‘resource efficiency partner’, Zero Waste Scotland (ZSW).

Director of ZSW, Iain Gulland, said: “Litter has no place in a zero waste society and this strategy sets out a clear vision to bring new ideas and a fresh approach to an issue which has plagued Scotland’s communities for too long.

“By reducing litter and fly-tipping and increasing recycling in public places, we can protect Scotland’s natural beauty and harness the value of waste as a re-usable resource.”

‘Do the right thing and use the bin’

In order to increase recycling rates across Scotland, the new strategy predominantly aims to encourage citizens to assume ‘personal responsibility’ of waste – to ‘do the right thing and use the bin’.

Indeed, a new Scottish Government marketing campaign, due to ‘start today’ (12 June) will attempt to highlight littering as ‘unacceptable behaviour’.

Trials of ‘new, tailored public information tactics’ that will be ‘aimed at motivating people to dispose of waste properly’ will also accompany the marketing campaign, while a wider call to designers, industry, students and academics to ‘come forward with ideas to improve the design of products and packaging’ is being released in order to build awareness about issues around litter.

Further details of the strategy

The recent increase in fixed penalties for littering and flytipping from £50 to £80 and £200 respectively
 has been cited as one of the steps that have ‘already been taken’ towards a ‘litter free’ Scotland.

However, further actions that have been outlined as part of the new strategy include:

• The introduction of a five pence charge for single-use bags in Scotland ‘from October 2014’.
• 
The presence of new ‘enforcement powers’ for the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and other public bodies to be ready ‘from April 1, 2015’.
• 
Pilot incentive schemes to reward communities for voluntary clean-ups in local ‘black spots’.


Keep Scotland Beautiful

It is reported that the new strategy will also provide funding over two years for Keep Scotland Beautiful’s ‘Clean up Scotland’ campaign.

Derek Robertson, Keep Scotland Beautiful Chief Executive Officer, said:

“Keep Scotland Beautiful has been running the Clean Up Scotland Campaign for the last 18 months. Over 250,000 people have joined our campaign, demonstrating that litter and flytipping really matter to the people of Scotland.

“We are therefore delighted that the Scottish Government has acted to give these issues a strategic focus.”

Read more about Towards a Litter-free Scotland