Meeting of the Parliament 27 September 2022
I am sorry that I have shifted to a different seat, Presiding Officer; my card did not work at the desk where I was sitting, which I will note.
I congratulate Kenny Gibson on securing this members’ business debate. I also thank the members who contributed; I welcome their views.
Littering is unacceptable, whatever the circumstances, and there is no excuse for such behaviour anywhere in Scotland. Cleaning up litter costs public bodies £53 million a year, so any suggestion about how to tackle this scourge on our local communities is welcome. The issue is incredibly important for our citizens and for our environmental goals.
From listening to the views that were expressed, it is clear that tackling litter—particularly roadside litter—is an important issue for constituencies across the country. Litter can be tackled only through a shared approach and through collaboration between all stakeholders across Scotland to encourage litter prevention and behaviour change. Exploring the use of flexible and innovative interventions in support of litter prevention and removal is vital, and so is sharing best practice from within Scotland and internationally, as we have heard.
The enthusiasm that has been shown in the debate is testament to the strength of collaboration, volunteering and the empowerment of communities. In my speech, I will make clear the Scottish Government’s views on litter, as well as reiterating the value and importance of innovative approaches and volunteering.
Countless individuals and community groups clear up our beautiful country all year round, and I take the opportunity to thank them for their efforts and commitment to preserving our national environmental quality. The Scottish Government values the massive contribution that volunteers make to people’s lives. We recognise that they give their time to volunteer and make things better for others. Volunteering is good for the volunteer too, as it builds skills, enhances employability and supports mental wellbeing. Across Scotland, volunteers make vital contributions every day to their families, communities and society as a whole. They do it because they care and want to help and support others.
Throughout Scotland, people are volunteering and contributing on the issues that matter to them. “Scotland’s Volunteering Action Plan” will increase awareness of volunteers’ vital role in the delivery of services across Scotland in health and social care, services for children and families, and sport. Volunteering is powerful and it matters.
As the debate is focused on roadside litter, I clarify that the trunk road network is maintained on behalf of the Scottish ministers by Transport Scotland through contracts with a number of operating companies and design, build, finance and operate concessionaires. Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, litter collection is the local authority’s responsibility even when the road is a trunk road, with the exception of motorways. It is for locally elected representatives to decide how best to deliver services in their communities and to respond to litter on public land.
However, I understand the important role that stakeholder collaboration and awareness raising can play in the battle against littering. Since 2016, Keep Scotland Beautiful has co-ordinated a roadside litter campaign called “Give your litter a lift, take it home”—I do not know how that sits with Christine Grahame’s slogans—which raises awareness of the scale and impact of roadside litter and encourages road users to do the right thing. It is rolling out new materials to deliver its key message.
The Scottish Government is committed to doing its bit to tackle litter. Scotland’s deposit return scheme will launch next August. By giving plastic and glass bottles and other containers—as identified by members—a value of 20p, we expect to see a big reduction in littering of such items.
That is not all that we are doing. Earlier this year, I launched two important consultations. The first was on our waste route map to 2025, which is a strategic plan to deliver Scotland’s zero waste and circular economy ambitions. It sets out how we intend to deliver our system-wide, comprehensive vision for Scotland’s circular economy. The second was on our proposals for legislation—for a circular economy bill—to give us the powers that we need to deliver on our ambitions.
The circular economy bill proposes to introduce a new penalty for littering from vehicles. Respondents to the recent consultation were asked whether they agreed with the introduction of a new system that stipulates that the registered keeper of a vehicle is ultimately responsible for criminal offences such as littering from or in relation to their vehicle. Such an enabling power would help to reduce the tonnes of litter that need to be cleared from our roads each month.
Of course, legislation is only part of our toolkit; we need to consider all the policies and levers that we have at our disposal. We will publish a new national litter and fly-tipping strategy later this year, which will group key actions under three key themes of behaviour change, services and infrastructure, and enforcement. A key objective of the strategy will be to develop and adopt a shared approach by stakeholders to litter prevention and behaviour change across Scotland. The new strategy will also aim to empower community groups to take action to tackle littering behaviour at a local level.
I recognise the amazing contribution of volunteers. We want to ensure that everyone who wishes to can contribute to their local community and beyond through volunteering. Volunteering can help us with some of the biggest challenges that we are facing, and it brings benefits for volunteers who experience disadvantage and exclusion.
It is also important to note that the new national litter and fly-tipping strategy will frame the dialogue around littered or fly-tipped materials within the context of a leakage to the circular economy, which is a loss to Scotland’s wider economy.
While we recognise the importance of litter picks and other valuable citizen-led activity, such as the one that is suggested at the heart of the motion, we are striving to create a Scotland where the need for such activity in the future is eliminated.
Meeting closed at 17:52.