Rural and Environment

  • Deposit return scheme – changes laid in parliament for approval

    17th May 2023 by

    Craft drinks producers and pubs that provide off-sales are among those that will benefit from changes to Scotland’s deposit return scheme regulations. The amended regulations, which are subject to the approval of the Scottish Parliament, will make it easier for drinks producers and retailers to prepare for the scheme, while making sure the environmental benefits…

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  • Single-use plastic ban

    12th August 2022 by

    Scotland’s ban on single-use plastic products ban has become fully effective today (12 August 2022). The Scottish Government’s ban on many of the most damaging single-use plastic products came into force on 1 June 2022. However, the ban had been under threat from the UK Internal Market Act. The Act, which no devolved legislature consented…

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  • In the news: UK waste strategy

    18th December 2018 by

    You will no doubt have seen that many news outlets are running the a story this morning that the UK Government has published its Resources and Waste Strategy, which places more responsibility on manufacturers and producers to pay recycling and disposal costs.

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  • In the news: Marine litter

    29th November 2018 by

    This morning the Marine Conservation Society published its 25th Great British Beach Clean – a mass participation beach clean and survey event – that found there’s more litter on Scottish beaches than last year.

    The beach clean, which took place in September, saw volunteers remove 2,503kg of litter from Scottish beaches. In total, more than 75,000 items were picked up along the 15,680 meters of surveyed coastline, and found that cotton bud sticks at their highest level for eight years.

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