SEVEN years ago the Scottish Parliament passed the Climate Change Act, including provision for a national deposit return system (DRS), under which consumers pay a small deposit on drinks bottles and cans, fully refunded on return.
This hasn't been introduced yet, but the Scottish Government is seriously considering it, so there’s a real opportunity now for Scotland to lead the way once more. Our Have You Got The Bottle? campaign calls on all political parties to support a DRS in their manifestos for the May Holyrood elections.
And it’s not just us that thinks this – 12 other organisations representing nearly 200,000 people support our campaign. Many countries, from Croatia to Canada, have a DRS.
As well as tackling climate change, it brings other benefits, particularly cutting litter. Many people recycle to do the right thing, but others can’t be bothered. Paying a deposit means they’re throwing their money into our fields and verges, and we know from elsewhere in the world that a DRS changes behaviour.
Litter makes our towns and countryside less pleasant to live in, and puts visitors off too. Scotland is promoted as a clean, green place to visit, but that's undermined if visitors see beaches or picnic sites strewn with cans and bottles.
However, last week on a visit to Norway, which has had a DRS for 17 years, I saw no drinks container litter anywhere, in the countryside or in the towns.
A DRS would generate jobs in Scotland’s recycling industry by ensuring that more containers of better quality get recycled rather than being mixed up in kerbside recycling. As more stuff gets recycled, fewer valuable raw materials are wasted in landfill.
The Climate Change Act also included provision for a carrier bag charge, which was introduced in 2014. When it was proposed, industry described it as "a frivolous distraction", and fought it all the way. Six months later, disposable bag use had fallen by more than 80 per cent, helping tackle both litter and waste. It's become a normal part of life, as a DRS will too.
Some packaging and drinks manufacturers oppose DRS, confusingly often the same companies which operate successfully in other countries where a DRS works well. They know a DRS can be self-funding, but they fight it anyway.
You may hear them propose grand-sounding schemes that only amount to a bit more advertising and publicity – that's how they've resisted progress elsewhere in the world.
We want a clean, modern, progressive Scotland, with more jobs and less waste and litter. The drinks industry knows DRSs work well elsewhere, but they'd rather not bother. They're hoping Scottish Ministers haven't got the bottle. I believe they'll be proved wrong.
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