People of Scotland are being urged to have their say on how a national deposit return scheme could work best for Scotland, in a series of nationwide public engagement events announced by Zero Waste Scotland.

During the summer, people across Scotland will have the opportunity to share their views at events across the country – from festivals, to visitor attractions, shopping locations and community centres. For those who can’t make it to an event, there will be a webinar available where you can learn more about what a deposit return scheme could mean for Scotland.

Under a deposit return scheme, customers pay a small deposit when they buy drinks in, for example, a bottle or a can, and then get the deposit back when they return the empty container for recycling. A public consultation on a deposit return scheme for Scotland was officially opened by the Scottish Government last month (Wednesday 27 June, 2018).

Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, Roseanna Cunningham, said: “A deposit return scheme will provide a new secure source of high quality material which will create opportunities to develop our recycling infrastructure in Scotland and create jobs. This will also improve the availability of recycled material for use in the production of bottles and cans in future.

“I would encourage everyone with an interest to provide their views on how this scheme can meet Scotland’s needs and help us tackle our throwaway culture.”

Iain Gulland, Chief Executive, Zero Waste Scotland, said: “People will make this scheme a success – for our environment and our economy. The Scottish Government and Zero Waste Scotland have committed to designing the best possible deposit return scheme for Scotland. We want it to work for everyone – and that’s why we’re calling on as many people as possible to have their say.

“With thanks to support from a wide range of partners we are delighted to be out and about this summer, on behalf of the Scottish Government, visiting a wide range of events and locations across the country – from border towns to Inverness – asking everyone for their views on how a deposit return scheme could work best for them.”

Following a successful first event at Glasgow Fort in June, Zero Waste Scotland will be at some of the country’s top events and attractions this summer – including ButeFest, the European Open Water Swimming Championships (part of Glasgow 2018), Edinburgh Mela, and Aviemore Triathlon.

The current programme of public engagement events is as follows: 

July 25: Deep Sea World, North Queensferry

July 27-29: ButeFest, Isle of Bute

August 1: Scottish Seabird Centre, North Berwick

August 11: European Open Water Swimming Championships, Balloch

August 12: Aviemore Triathlon, Aviemore

August 22: St Enoch Centre, Glasgow

August 25: Peebles Market

August 31: Dundee Food and Flower Show

September 1 -2: Edinburgh Mela

September 5: Eastgate Shopping Centre, Inverness

September 14 - 16: Perth Food and Drink Festival

Members of the Zero Waste Scotland team will be at Deep Sea World on Wednesday, July 25 from 10am to 3pm to ask visitors and staff about choices such as the level of deposit; which products should have a deposit on them; where they should be able to take their empty drinks containers to get the deposit back; and whether they’d welcome the option to donate the deposit in certain circumstances – for example to charities, schools or community groups.

Zero Waste Scotland staff will also be available to chat through four hypothetical examples of how Scotland’s deposit return scheme could work – which are based on 12 main factors to be considered when designing a deposit return scheme. These examples aim to help people understand how different factors of a deposit return scheme could vary to create different scheme designs with different outcomes for Scotland.

Full details on the main factors and examples are available to view as part of the public consultation on the Scottish Government website: https://consult.gov.scot/environment-forestry/deposit-return-scheme.

Fraser Edwards, Sales and Marketing Manager, Deep Sea World, said: “We are delighted to welcome Zero Waste Scotland to Deep Sea World to engage with our visitors and gather people’s opinions on a deposit return scheme for Scotland. From news coverage and documentaries to community action groups and social media, it is evident that we need to make a change to the materials which our goods are packaged in and how we dispose of them. At Deep Sea World, we aim to educate our visitors on the importance of protecting our oceans and reducing single-use plastics.

“As a business and as individuals, we know that it can be challenging when looking for alternatives to traditional plastic packaging. Measures such as a Scottish deposit return scheme however make it easier for all of us to take these positive steps for a cleaner, more sustainable future.”

Zero Waste Scotland research shows over 64,000 tonnes of plastic food packaging and plastic bottles is thrown away into household general rubbish bins and sent to landfill every year in Scotland, costing the country a staggering £11million each year. Meanwhile evidence shows countries with deposit return schemes operating overseas can reach over 90% recycling for targeted drinks containers, such as bottles and cans.

To view the current programme of Zero Waste Scotland public engagement events on deposit return, visit www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/deposit-return-scheme-events. More events may be added soon – as well as a date for the webinar. 

The public consultation on deposit return for Scotland is available on the Scottish Government website at https://consult.gov.scot/environment-forestry/deposit-return-scheme. 

This sponsored article was brought to you by Zero Waste Scotland. More information on deposit return is available at www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/deposit-return-scheme