The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S6M-16920, in the name of Kenneth Gibson, on the Marine Conservation Society’s “State of our beaches” 2024 report. The debate will be concluded without any question being put. I invite members who wish to participate to press their request-to-speak buttons.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament welcomes the publication of the Marine Conservation Society 2024 report, State of our Beaches, which compiles data gathered through the organisation’s year-round citizen science initiative, Beachwatch; acknowledges that Beachwatch was launched in 1994; believes that it provides one of the most detailed datasets on marine litter across the whole of the UK; applauds the 4,000 volunteers who attended beach cleans across Scotland in 2024, including in the Cunninghame North constituency, which represents a 25% increase in volunteers compared to 2023; notes that they removed over 10,000 kg of litter from Scotland’s beaches in 2024, consisting of around 527,000 separate items; expresses concern that, on average, 204 items of litter were found for every 100 metres across Scotland’s beaches, which represents a 7.2% increase on 2023 and is higher than the UK-wide average of 170 items per 100 metres; understands that 22,000 wet wipes were found on Scotland’s beaches in 2024, and that drinks-related litter was recorded on 95% of surveyed beaches; acknowledges that marine litter not only harms what it sees as Scotland’s beautiful coastline, but can also damage marine habitats; notes the view that reducing marine litter will require not only behavioural changes, but also a range of policy changes, including the introduction of circular economy measures and the phasing-out of single-use plastic items, and further notes calls for the Scottish Government to continue its work alongside key stakeholders to drive down marine litter across Scotland’s beaches.
18:14
I am grateful to those members who signed my motion allowing the debate to take place. I am also grateful to Daniel Hale of the Marine Conservation Society for his very helpful briefings.
Scotland boasts one of Europe’s most expansive and ecologically rich marine environments, fringed by more than 18,000km of coastline. These waters support a wealth of biodiversity, from seals and whales to seabirds, and they sustain critical sectors such as fisheries, aquaculture and offshore renewable energy. The Marine Conservation Society’s “State of our beaches” 2024 report offers a detailed and sobering assessment of Scotland’s coastal and marine environments. Compiled from the society’s beachwatch programme, which is a year-round citizen science initiative that was launched in 1994, the report draws on one of the United Kingdom’s most comprehensive marine litter data sets. More than a third of this year’s 1,262 surveys took place in Scotland: 467 surveys, representing a 28 per cent increase on the previous year.
The significance of this evening’s members’ business debate is underscored by two timely events: the 99th birthday of Sir David Attenborough last week and the release of his latest documentary, “Ocean”, which is a powerful tribute to the beauty and fragility of our seas. As always, Attenborough’s voice brings moral authority and urgency, calling on us to reconsider our relationship with the natural world, particularly its most expansive and endangered domain.
The report paints a picture of paradoxes. Although the Scottish Government is making progress, persistent challenges, particularly plastic pollution, continue to erode the resilience of marine ecosystems. Encouragingly, public engagement is gaining momentum. In 2024, more than 4,100 volunteers took part in formal beach clean-ups across Scotland, removing a total of 527,460 individual pieces of litter. There were also many more informal clean-ups, including those that I organised myself, and yet the scale of the issue remains sobering. An average of 204 littered items were recorded per 100m of coastline, which is significantly higher than the UK national average.
Litter linked to public behaviour was the most common type found on Scottish mainland beaches, accounting for 40 per cent of all recorded waste. Certain regions saw especially sharp increases in litter density. Fife recorded an increase of 124.9 per cent, while Dumfries and Galloway experienced a shocking 287 per cent rise, which I am sure that Mr Carson will want to comment on in his speech.
Sewage pollution presents another urgent threat. In some areas, the situation is particularly severe. The national average for sewage-related debris is 1.5 items per 100m, Falkirk and Inverclyde reported figures of 212 and 237 items respectively. Wet wipes have emerged as a particularly troubling pollutant: more than 22,000 were collected from fewer than half of the beaches that were surveyed in Scotland. Often made from synthetic fibres, wet wipes degrade very slowly, posing serious risks to marine ecosystems. They can clog waterways, contribute to microplastic pollution and threaten marine life.
Scottish Water has expanded monitoring of combined sewer overflows from just 7 per cent in 2020 to 32 per cent last year, which is a welcome step forward. However, the majority of discharges still go unmonitored. To address those environmental pressures, the Scottish Parliament passed the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024, a critical move away from single-use culture. The act empowers ministers to impose charges on select disposable items, including wet wipes and takeaway cups. That legislative progress builds on the success of Scotland’s carrier bag charge, which was introduced a decade ago. Within its first year, that modest charge led to an 87 per cent reduction in plastic bags found on beaches.
Further measures are on the horizon. Scotland’s deposit return scheme, which is scheduled to launch in October 2027 as part of a UK-wide initiative, will add a 20p deposit to most single-use plastic bottles and cans. Consumers can reclaim the deposit by returning empty containers to participating retailers. Meanwhile, the Scottish Government has implemented wide-reaching protections for marine environments, with more than 37 per cent of Scotland’s territorial waters now designated as marine protected areas. These include the sea of the Hebrides—the world’s first protected zone for basking sharks and minke whales—as well as the South Arran MPA and numerous protected sea lochs. More than 2,000 square kilometres of inshore waters are now permanently safeguarded from destructive practices such as bottom trawling and mechanical dredging, in line with the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010.
In my constituency of Cunninghame North, the UK’s first no-take zone was established in Lamlash bay in 2008. It has been a resounding success that should be repeated elsewhere in Scotland. Spearheaded by the Community of Arran Seabed Trust—COAST—the area has seen remarkable biodiversity recovery, including notable rebounds in scallop and lobster populations. In 2021, the initiative was recognised by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity as one of the world’s top-20 outstanding practices.
Building on that success, COAST partnered with the Arran outdoor education centre in 2023 to launch a free marine science education programme. Delivered to more than 375 students from across North Ayrshire, the programme integrates sea bed cameras, remotely operated vehicles and plankton sampling with classroom learning, enhancing environmental literacy and supporting student wellbeing. Elsewhere, targeted conservation efforts have spurred the recovery of the critically endangered flapper skate in the legally designated MPA that spans Loch Sunart and the Sound of Jura. That success is bolstered by the use of artificial intelligence-powered monitoring, which has helped to identify nearly 2,500 individual fish, illustrating the powerful synergy between legal protection and technological innovation.
Overall, since 2022, the Scottish marine environmental enhancement fund has invested more than £3.8 million in 54 projects, restoring seagrass meadows, salt marshes and native oyster populations. Those projects not only improve biodiversity and coastal resilience, but contribute to blue carbon sequestration, which is a vital climate mitigation tool.
As we reflect on the findings of the “State of our beaches” 2024 report, it is clear that Scotland stands at a critical juncture. Our nation’s marine environment is one of the richest and most diverse in Europe, and it remains both an extraordinary asset and a fragile inheritance. While the report paints a sobering picture, marked by rising plastic pollution, sewage-related debris and the enduring impacts of public littering, it also speaks to the power of progress.
We are seeing tangible steps forward, with record volunteer engagement; new legislation, such as the aforementioned Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024; expanded marine protections; and the steady integration of cutting-edge technology in conservation efforts, yet we cannot be complacent. If we are to preserve the integrity of our marine ecosystems for future generations, our actions now must match the scale of the threat. That means continuing to strengthen legislation, accelerating the roll-out of initiatives such as the deposit return scheme and supporting a ban on single-use plastic wet wipes by next year.
The challenges before us are significant, but they are not insurmountable. Although the journey is far from over, with further preservation and sustained effort, the environmental tide may finally turn.
We move to the open debate.
18:21
First, I congratulate my friend, Kenneth Gibson, on securing this important debate. It is refreshing to hear Mr Gibson talk fish, when normally he talks about the economy.
It is often said that life’s a beach, and I am sure many of us have fond memories of digging our toes into the sand, building sandcastles that are destined to be washed away by the tide or braving the icy waters, to emerge with blue lips and goose bumps.
Those simple, joyful moments are possible only because Scotland is blessed with some of the finest beaches in the world. Many of them are in Scotland’s most beautiful constituency: my constituency of Galloway and West Dumfries, which is home to some of the most beautiful beaches imaginable. From the sand dunes of Sandyhills, the rugged sheltered bays of Carrick, the soft white sands of Mossyard, the dramatic cliffs of Drummore and the pebble coastline of Portpatrick, we have it all. Other beaches may be available, but if Marks and Spencer or Carlsberg did beaches, they would be the beaches of Galloway.
As we heard from Kenneth Gibson, our ability to enjoy those natural treasures is thanks in no small part to the dedication of more than 4,000 volunteers who took part in beach cleans across Scotland in 2024—a 25 per cent increase on the previous year. In my constituency, groups such as ONUS—oceans need us—South West Scotland, are making a real difference. Just recently, a dozen volunteers tackled marine litter at Port Logan and along the coastline near Stranraer. Their efforts are nothing short of inspirational.
Another stand-out initiative is the Solway Coast and Marine Project, which aims to restore vital coastal and shallow sea habitats all along all the 210km of the Dumfries and Galloway coastline, from Gretna to the Rhins of Galloway. That project, which is led by the Dumfries and Galloway Council environment team and the Solway Firth Partnership, is supported by NatureScot, the Scottish Government and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Its mission is to restore salt marshes, seagrass beds, coastal woodlands and—last but no means least—native oyster beds, for which I am the Parliament’s nature champion. I must be one of the few nature champions who can actually eat the species that they are assigned to protect, and I wish the Solway Coast and Marine Project all the success in the future.
I am also delighted that local authority councillors will consider resuming mechanical beach cleans in Wigtownshire. However, despite those efforts, the issue of marine litter remains one of the most pressing—and, to be frank, most disheartening—environmental challenges of our time. Each year, millions of tonnes of plastic and other waste material enter our seas, harming marine ecosystems, endangering wildlife and even threatening human health.
The Marine Conservation Society’s “State of our beaches” 2024 report paints a stark picture: more than 10,000kg of litter, comprising more than 527,000 individual items, were removed from Scotland’s beaches last year. That is a 7.2 per cent increase on 2023, and it is well above the United Kingdom average.
For some additional context, I can share the following data points that are specific to Dumfries and Galloway. The region saw a 287 per cent year-on-year increase in the number of litter items per 100m of beach. It recorded 41 items of sewage-related debris per 100m, which is one of the highest rates of any local authority in Scotland, and it had 45 items of drink-related litter per 100m, the third highest in Scotland, highlighting the urgent need for effective deposit return schemes and package reform. However, I know that much of that litter comes straight from the A75, which winds its way along the Solway coast for much of its length.
It is not a problem that we can clear our way out of. Although volunteer effort is vital, we must also adopt bold policy measures, such as embracing a circular economy and phasing out single-use plastic items such as wet wipes, cotton buds, cutlery and straws. Behavioural change is essential, but it must be supported by strong legislation and co-ordinated action. The Marine Conservation Society has rightly called on all UK Governments, including the Scottish Government, to work closely with stakeholders to tackle the crisis head on.
This is not an insurmountable challenge, but it will require a serious shift in public attitudes, robust policy intervention and continued support for the volunteers and organisations who work tirelessly to protect our coastlines.
Thank you, Mr Carson. As a fellow species champion, I am pretty sure that the idea is not to encourage people to eat the species, but I might have got that wrong.
I now call Rhoda Grant to be followed by Ben Macpherson in around four minutes.
18:26
I congratulate Kenneth Gibson on securing the debate. I also pay tribute to the work of the Marine Conservation Society to highlight the impact of litter on our seas and beaches. I thank it for organising the beach cleans throughout the UK that have enabled more than 15,000 volunteers to take part this year.
The beach cleans are not simply a tidy-up exercise, although they are part of that. The feedback that the MCS gets and the information it gathers in its surveys—it did 1,200 surveys last year—tell us what is littering our beaches and what it is finding there. That information is useful. It gives us an insight into the main cause of pollution, but it also gives us an insight into the most likely culprits, which is valuable information for tackling the issue at source.
That knowledge also shows trends of pollution and the impact of Government policy. What I found particularly striking was the number of carrier bags that were collected, which increased over the decades and then fell dramatically when a charge was placed on them. We know that it was not the cost of the carrier bag that led to the change of behaviour, rather it was the constant reminder that we were not doing the right thing if we took a carrier bag. Before the charge was implemented, we all set off shopping with great intentions about taking reusable bags, but we often forgot. That led to huge numbers of plastic bags blowing away and being discarded deliberately. The charge changed behaviour and that change was almost immediate—in a very short space of time, there was an 80 per cent decrease in the number of discarded carrier bags that were found in beach cleans. That shows how many had been littering our seas and other public places until that point.
Sadly, that bucks the trend, because plastic litter continues to increase. Because of public awareness and the beach cleans that add to that awareness, the pressure to ban plastic and wet wipes continues to grow as we see an increase in the number of those wipes littering beaches. Their disposal in our sewage system adds to the pressure on the ancient infrastructure, causing further pollution.
We have heard that Scotland’s beaches regularly top the list of the best beaches in the world. I was going to start listing some of the beautiful beaches in the Highlands and Islands to give Finlay Carson a run for his money, but I just did not think that that would be fair, because there are many, many more in the Highlands and Islands. However, it is desperately sad that they can be spoiled by litter, which impacts habitats but also our enjoyment of the seaside.
The information that was gathered from the Marine Conservation Society surveys must be used to initiate policies that cut litter and change behaviour, because it has to be down to each and every one of us, individually, to make that change and to make it socially unacceptable for people to litter. We see it all too often—not just on our beaches but on our roadsides.
We must also clean up our waters and ensure that we properly monitor sewage discharge, with a view to ensuring that there are no discharges of untreated sewage into our environment, including our seas. That will be good for the environment and for nature, and it will make our seas much safer for us, too. It benefits us all to make a difference, and I urge the Government to act on those suggestions.
18:31
I pay tribute to my colleague for bringing this important issue to the chamber and to the work of the Marine Conservation Society, which I have had the pleasure of engaging with on beach clean-ups in Wardie Bay in my constituency, for example. I know that other members support their local beach clean-ups. Volunteers, along with the Marine Conservation Society and others, have really helped to bring attention to these issues in the political context and in the media, which builds our collective awareness of the issue of marine pollution in the places that we call home.
I represent the constituents of Edinburgh Northern and Leith, which includes Granton harbour, Newhaven harbour, port of Leith and the beach of Wardie Bay, as I mentioned. The whole of the east coast of Scotland and our capital city have contended with these issues for some time. We are seeing change and improvement; for example, there are now oysters in the Firth of Forth, which is excellent in terms of the increase of biodiversity and nature restoration. However, we still face big challenges together, as the volunteers who clean these beaches discover every time they go down to the beaches and do the good work that they do, picking up bagfuls of litter. I will say more on that in a moment.
The issue of sewage has been touched on. As the chair of the Seafield waste water treatment works stakeholder group for the past nine years, I am very aware of the challenge of the pressure of a growing population, the effect of climate change and the difficulties that those issues can present. The wet wipes issue is the biggest one, and Scottish Water has done a good job of raising awareness of the fact that people should not flush wet wipes down the toilet or put them down the drain in any way. That is about a culture change, because, in the past, people perhaps did not realise that they were doing something wrong by doing that. We have moved positively, but there is more to do.
Issues with sewage water overflows need to be discussed carefully. For example, my constituents have expressed concern when there have been genuine issues with sewage water overflows that have required the attention of the authorities. However, some politicians have also created undue and inaccurate alarm, chasing headlines about sewage, which is not good for anyone. That is just a word of caution.
With regard to litter, when young people come into the Parliament or when I visit schools—I do not know whether other colleagues have experienced the same—one of the questions that I am nearly always asked is, “What are you going to do about litter?” Young people say, “We really do not like litter. We are really appalled by litter,” and yet something changes in our culture later in life and some people think that it is okay to throw litter, whether that is on the street or into a river or the sea. Although I support measures such as the plastic bag charge and bans on some products, which I will talk about in a minute, how we change the culture around the acceptability of dropping litter is still the perennial challenge in this regard. It must become totally unacceptable, socially, if we are going to make the progress that we need to make.
The Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill, which came through the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee last year, creates some important opportunities. However, we need to be careful about seeing the application of charges on single-use products as a meaningful solution. The plastic bag charge is not the same as the potential plastic cup charge. We should not give all products the same consideration, because they are different and people might use reusables in different circumstances. Bans on certain products have been really meaningful, whether it is cotton buds, plastic straws or nurdles—which are an issue that we face in the Firth of Forth.
I would like the Government to consider that not only are single-use sponges a single-use plastic but, through the process of cleaning, they create microplastics that then go into the water system, especially if their scourer parts are plastic ones. There is comment internationally about that issue, and I have wondered for some time whether we need more action. We would need an affordable alternative that is not a microplastic and is a sustainable product. People use those sponges every day, and I am concerned about the amount of microplastics that goes into the water system. Although they are not big bits of litter, the issue does matter.
This has been a great debate. Thank you for the time, Presiding Officer.
Thank you, Mr Macpherson. We come to Mark Ruskell, who is the final speaker in the open debate.
18:36
I thank Kenny Gibson for bringing the debate to the chamber. We have this debate pretty much every year, and it is really good to be able to reflect on the progress that has been made and to celebrate MCS’s on-going, excellent work.
As we have heard in contributions from all members, Scotland undoubtedly has some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe. It would be remiss of me not to mention West Sands in St Andrews and Silver Sands in Aberdour, in my region. We have thousands of miles of beaches and coasts, which not only are home to nature but keep us active and healthy, and bring pleasure to millions of people. They also tell us the story of our communities and are wonderful places for learning and discovery for people of all ages.
Although our beaches and coasts are also on the front line of climate change, with threats from storms and sea level rises, our shores hold part of the solution as to how we can adapt to climate change, too. I was really delighted to visit Restoration Forth’s seagrass project recently. I see that Ben Macpherson is nodding, as he will recognise that project from this side of the Forth—in particular, the excellent work on oyster bed recovery.
I was particularly struck by that work on seagrass, which is—or was—found in many sheltered areas and coasts. Not only is seagrass a wonderful nursery for marine life, but it captures 35 times more carbon than the rainforests do. It feels to me that restoring seagrass and working with communities is a great way to address some of the impacts of climate change and to empower people. We need to find those wins for nature and climate that create that sweet spot for community action. Seagrass is a really good example.
Many more coastal projects have been funded through the nature restoration fund, which is creating a real focal point for community empowerment. It would be great to hear the minister reflect on the success of that fund and where it will go in the future. However, what we have learned through the surveys, particularly in the past couple of years, is that our beaches are sadly becoming dirtier, with a rising tide of marine litter. To return to seagrass, 92 per cent of our seagrass across the UK has been destroyed, in part because of litter. This year’s “State of our beaches” report shows an increase in the proportion of litter that is found on our beaches for the second year in a row. We cannot ignore the fact that drinks bottles and cans remain a major part of the beach litter problem.
Changing behaviour and attitudes is one part of the solution. A number of members have mentioned the success of the carrier bag charge, which came in more than a decade ago. As a result, there has been an 80 per cent reduction in bags turning up as marine litter. Clearly, incentives for citizens and consumers work, but it is also important that we do not forget that the polluter should pay and that producers of waste should ultimately take responsibility for it.
In the previous session, the Parliament agreed to the deposit return scheme for drinks containers, putting the responsibility back on to producers to run their own take-back scheme that would work for the public. I remember that, when the DRS was being considered by the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee, the many years of MCS beach cleans were a central part of the evidence in favour of the DRS scheme, which was originally introduced by Roseanna Cunningham.
It is disappointing that, in this session of Parliament, ostensible lobbying from the glass industry undermined the scheme that had been developed in Scotland. Ultimately, it was blocked by the UK Government. As we move past that period and look to a new UK-wide DRS, although it will arguably be weaker, it is important to acknowledge that, in many ways, the worsening condition of our beaches is happening because vested interests have had some considerable success in slowing environmental regulation.
Members talk about nurdles and microplastics, so there is a role for regulation here. There is a role for making the polluter pay and for driving industry towards innovation to find solutions. Voluntary action can take us only so far. For decades, raising the floor of regulation across Europe was how we delivered environmental progress. That is why maintaining alignment with European Union laws will be important for the health of our coasts, nature and bathing waters. It is also why Environmental Standards Scotland has such an important role in holding Governments and regulators to account post Brexit, so that we can continue that progress.
I am a little disappointed that we will not see the promised water and sewage bill from the Scottish Government in this session. Maybe the minister will have more to say on that. That could have kept up the pressure for improvement.
I believe that communities, from wild swimmers to dog walkers, have a role to play in monitoring the state of our beaches and making a small but important contribution to cleaning up. I join other members in thanking volunteers and celebrating that work. I am already looking forward to joining my next beach clean in Fife.
18:42
I have really enjoyed listening to the debate. If I am not in my favourite place, on the front benches in the chamber, I like to be in my second favourite place—the beach. I come from a coastal constituency, and the beach is my happy place. I know that I speak for many people in that regard. I am very pleased to be responding on behalf of the Scottish Government to the debate.
I thank Kenny Gibson for lodging the motion. I recognise that, in his constituency, we have some of the most spectacular coastal areas in the whole of Scotland, and we are doing great conservation work. In particular, I point to Lamlash Bay and the no-take zone. I believe that David Attenborough mentioned it in his new film. I am yet to see it, but I have it on my list for the weekend.
I join members in thanking the Marine Conservation Society and its volunteers, and I congratulate them on their commendable efforts over many years, not only to remove litter from Scotland’s beaches but, as Rhoda Grant pointed out, to give us vital intelligence on what is washing up on our beaches. That has informed policy. If we know what the problem is and its scale, we can look at how to address it. That data really helps. Our marine litter strategy and our “National Litter and Flytipping Strategy” drive forward that work to reduce litter.
Many members have mentioned human behaviour. In particular, I was struck by what Ben Macpherson and Finlay Carson said about littering from cars. As Ben Macpherson said, we must make littering socially unacceptable, in the same way that other things are socially unacceptable. If somebody is dropping litter, I would like the people who are with them to say, “Hey, don’t drop that here. Pick it up and put it in a bin’’. The same should apply if someone in a car opens the window and throws out a drinks container, or—as I see in my constituency, and I will not be alone in this—throws out wholesale a burger carrier bag with all their empty food cartons in it. In my constituency, on the Aberdeen western peripheral route, there are signs about how many bags of litter have been collected each month. It is absolutely appalling.
Human behaviour is important. What we do here in making regulations is only part of the solution and it is better if we do not have to be punitive or to put those measures in place. It is better to reduce the amount of litter by making it socially unacceptable for people to drop it or to throw it out of their cars.
Many people have mentioned the regulations regarding single-use plastics, including those on plastic-stemmed cotton buds and the introduction of the carrier bag charge. Rhoda Grant mentioned the 90 per cent reduction in bag use, and I look forward to seeing that happen with plastic bottles and cans on our beaches. As Mark Ruskell said, change was supposed to happen in March last year. I should be standing here saying that we have seen a marked difference since the implementation of the DRS, but we have lost a year or more. I am pleased to be able to say that there is, in general, a four-nations approach to that and I hope that we will remove many hundreds of thousands of plastic bottles and cans from our roads and beaches when that goes ahead.
I will say a little about wet wipes in particular.
I wonder what your view is. We are very lucky in Dumfries and Galloway, because our towns and villages are well looked after by the people who live there. However, as I said in my contribution, litter on the A75 is a big part of what ends up in our seas. What is your view on the removal of roadside bins? There are two ideas about that: one is to let people leave their litter in bins and make it someone else’s responsibility; the other is not to have bins but to encourage people to take their litter home. What is your view on litter bins being available at roadsides?
I may have a view on that, but I am not going to share it and will ask the cabinet secretary to answer.
I would, of course, be very interested in your view on that, Deputy Presiding Officer.
There are pros and cons to that and I cannot give a fully rounded opinion in the time that I have. There can be an issue with the seagull population when there are open bins, but I am also acutely aware that people are inconvenienced if there is no bin nearby. Most of the litter we are talking about is caused by people not even stopping to look for a bin. The cause is human behaviour and people thinking that it is acceptable to roll down their car window and chuck a bag out. The point is well made.
I will talk briefly about wet wipes and take the opportunity to put on record that the issue comes not only from the plastic wet wipes that we will be banning, but from all wet wipes. Even the ones that do not contain plastic take a long time to degrade, and that is not acceptable. That fits in with Ben Macpherson saying that people do not know they are doing something wrong: all wet wipes, even the non-plastic ones, cause major problems for the sewage system because they take so long to break down and can create blockages. People should particularly think about what they put down the loo, rather than assuming that it is acceptable to flush a wet wipe that contains no plastic.
Sewage-related debris continues to be a challenge. The point about having a sensible conversation about sewage overflows was well made. The grey water that might have to go out through a sewage overflow actually protects homes and prevents any backup going into them and is only a small fraction of what is in the water system. I am pleased with the work that Scottish Water is doing, which is testament to the fact that we have a publicly owned water company and that all its profits go back into programmes such as the rolling out of dynamic overflow detection systems throughout the country.
A lot depends on human behaviour, so I will end by talking about volunteers, who have been mentioned throughout the debate. The people who organise or go on litter picks are worth their weight in gold, but no one has to wait for an organised litter pick to be able to play their part. I have taught my kids to take a plastic bag with them when they take the dog down to the beach and to do their bit incrementally by picking up the bits of litter that they find. If we all do that, it will become socially unacceptable for people to litter. Not only will people be going to beaches and playing their part incrementally, but they will be showing that they care about the environment. The more that people do that, the more that other people will see it and I am confident that that will be part of a change in behaviour.
That concludes the debate.
Meeting closed at 18:50.Previous
Decision Time