Delays in Scotland could increase the risk of ocean pollution
2 minute read
After two weeks of volunteering at COP26, our Scotland Conservation Officer Catherine Gemmell describes her dismay at hearing that potential delays could be announced by Scottish Government this week, delays that our ocean can't afford.
On Thursday I walked out of the Green Zone at COP26 for the last time as an official volunteer with Glasgow City Council.
Twelve years of delays
We've already had the start date on this pushed back from 2021 to 2022 – but our seas cannot afford another delay.
Scottish Government has had the power to bring in a scheme to tackle littering since 2009, politicians announced their commitment to do so in 2017, and yet we're still waiting for the long-promised deposit return scheme.
As an organisation, we're so concerned that Scottish Government is going to announce another set back that, for the first time in 28 years, we have made the decision to reveal critical data which shows the full scale of the problem; ahead of our Great British Beach Clean results embargoed launch (see below).
If my experience at COP26 taught me anything it was the world cannot afford any more broken promises, it needs action!
I hope when Minister for Circular Economy Lorna Slater MSP updates the Scottish Parliament on Circular Economy plans this week that I am proven wrong, and that the Scottish Government and the industry with the power to implement it have done their job.
What’s it going to be? Action to combat the Climate and Ocean Emergency or another broken promise or, in the words of Greta Thunberg, more "Blah, blah, blah"...
How big is the drinks' litter problem in Scotland?
- 92% of beaches surveyed in Scotland are littered with glass bottles, cans and single-use plastic drinks containers*
- 140,000 additional cans and bottles littering Scotland's streets, parks and beaches every single day that a Deposit Return System is delayed**
- Drinks-related litter can be found, on average, for every 3 metres on beaches surveyed in Scotland***
- 12 years: how long politicians have been promising a scheme to tackle litter pollution
*Found by volunteers during this years’ Great British Beach Clean
**Figure estimated by Eunomia on behalf of the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland (APRS)
***An average of 28.8 drinks related litter items (plastic and glass bottles, cans and caps & lids) were recorded per 100m during our 2021 surveys
It's estimated that a deposit return scheme would prevent more than 100,000 items of drink litter polluting Scotland every day
Credit: Catherine Gemmell