Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee
Meeting date: Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Official Report 658KB pdf
Contents
Petition
Single-use Drinks Cups (PE1636)
Agenda item 4 is consideration of petition PE1636, by Michael Traill, which calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to introduce legislation requiring all single-use cups to be 100 per cent biodegradable. Details of the committee’s previous work on the petition are set out in paper 5, which suggests a range of possible options available to members. I invite comments and suggestions on ways forward.
I welcome Roseanna Cunningham’s letter on the petition, which states that the minister has asked Zero Waste Scotland to look into the issue and that an expert panel will be appointed to look at whether something can be done to reduce the impact of the problem.
The Government is making good progress, and I am happy with the action that is being taken. We should keep the petition open and consider it from time to time, at least until the Government has firmly taken up the baton and is starting to run with it. After that, the work on the petition will have been done. As I said, I would keep open the petition for the time being in order to encourage the Government to remember it.
I support John Scott’s views. Making all single-use cups biodegradable is one of a range of ways in which we can reduce and simplify waste for the future. It is an important option that will help to focus minds, but there are a range of other ways of having simpler packaging, although we will certainly still need packaging for some things. I support keeping the petition open to help to focus minds.
Are we content to take Mr Scott’s suggested way forward?
Members indicated agreement.
At its next meeting on 21 November, the committee will consider subordinate legislation and the Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (Scotland) Bill at stage 2. As agreed earlier, we now move into private. I ask that the public gallery be cleared
12:19 Meeting continued in private until 12:40.Previous
Subordinate Legislation