Chamber and committees

A number of Scottish local authorities do offer reuse collection points at Household Waste & Recycling centres for paint. However councils are unable to accept liquid paint for disposal, as liquid wastes are banned from landfill sites in Scotland. Zero Waste Scotland provide further detail on what to with used paint and paint cans here: What to do with used paint | Recycling | How to Waste Less .

This service provision supplements social enterprise and third sector initiatives running paint collection and redistribution reuse networks for waste paint.

However, as the RSC’s report highlights, across all paint re-use or reprocessing options in the UK there are key common challenges to overcome to ensure a sustainable circular economy and waste management provision model.

We are committed to increasing the amount and quality of recyclate collected and reprocessed in Scotland. We are working closely with local government on the development of our route map to deliver our waste, recycling and climate change targets to 2025 and beyond, and are giving due consideration to further steps we can take to drive waste reduction and ensure circular economy approach across a range of waste streams.

I am pleased to see Royal Society of Chemistry highlighting this important issue through its recent report.

The Scottish Government is committed to building a fully circular economy as part of our work to tackle the climate emergency. The shift to a circular economy represents an enormous economic and industrial opportunity for Scotland.

To make the most of this opportunity, we are working with industry, including construction and demolition sectors, local government and environmental groups to develop a route map to deliver our waste, recycling and climate change targets to 2025 and beyond. Through the Route Map and the forthcoming Circular Economy Bill we will consider how best to take forward waste reduction and circular economy across a range of waste streams.

In October 2020, we published our Inward Investment Plan, which identifies the transformation of the chemicals industries as one of Scotland’s nine opportunity areas for inward investment.

Partnering with Scottish Enterprise, the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) supports the advancement of bio-based solutions across all sectors. This includes supporting members of IBioIC to develop sustainable solutions for the paint industry.

Scotland’s chemical sciences R&D is consistently ranked top 3 in the world. R&D expenditure on chemicals & chemical products and pharmaceuticals totalled £192 million in 2019, 13.7% of the Scottish total.

I welcome the reports from Royal Society of Chemistry on making Polymers in Liquid Formulations (PLFs) more sustainable, helping to raise awareness of the complex issues around sustainable paint, and waste management.

Zero Waste Scotland provide further detail on what to with used paint and paint cans here: What to do with used paint | Recycling | How to Waste Less . Zero Waste Scotland also work through Revolve to promote the wider reuse of items and materials and help raise awareness of responsible consumption.

This service provision supplements social enterprise and third sector initiatives running paint collection and redistribution reuse networks for waste paint.

I welcome the report from Royal Society of Chemistry on making Polymers in Liquid Formulations (PLFs) more sustainable, helping to embed circular economy in to this area.

The Scottish Government is committed to building a fully circular economy as part of our work to tackle the climate emergency.

To make the most of this opportunity, we are working with industry, including construction and demolition sectors, local government, environmental groups and wider stakeholders to develop a Route Map to deliver our waste and recycling targets to 2025 and beyond. Through the Route Map and the forthcoming Circular Economy Bill we will consider how best to take forward waste reduction and ensure circular economy approach across a range of waste streams.

Yes, every learning, teaching and play space in Scotland was assessed by local authorities last term.

However, we and our local authority partners recognise the importance of continuing this work and guidance has been updated to advise that every learning, teaching and play space should be monitored at least one full day every week.

There is no such proposal.

As was made clear in the letter to the Committee, an undercut of a door was only one element of the example set of remedial measures used to illustrate the appropriate level of overall additional funding that might be needed to tackle problematic spaces. The other elements that formed part of the example were temporary use of an air cleaning device and installation of small mechanical ventilation units.

Local authorities are fully aware that they should undertake any remedial work in line with Scottish Government guidance on ventilation and expert input.

We have not asked local authorities to undercut doors in schools, nor was £300,000 provided to them specifically for these purposes.

My letter to the Education, Children and Young People Committee setting out the example scenario was not guidance, and has not been issued to local authorities. It was a response to a request from the Committee to provide more detail on how costings had been arrived at. The letter stated:

“In order to calculate the £5m schools/ELC ventilation fund, we have assumed an example set of remedial measures which could be taken for each problematic space although this will vary depending on local decisions.”

and

“ It is very important to note that these costs will of course vary significantly in practice, as the precise remedial measures used in each problematic space should be informed by local circumstances and expert assessment by local authority teams .”

Local authorities are fully aware that they should undertake any remedial work in line with Scottish Government guidance on ventilation and expert input. Our guidance already makes clear that when implementing any Covid-safety measures, local authorities must continue to adhere to legal obligations with regard to health and safety, including fire safety. It is of course for local authorities as duty holders to ensure appropriate consultation with all relevant authorities when undertaking works in school buildings.

Our guidance on ventilation for schools, updated most recently in December 2021, indicates that problematic spaces are where readings above 1500ppm are persistent despite mitigation measures being taken. Areas of high aerosol activity may use 800ppm as the threshold for high CO2 concentration.

Ventilation is a complex issue requiring, among other things, ongoing monitoring and management. For example, changes in room use or weather conditions can result in assessments of air quality changing over time, requiring fresh remedial action.

The Scottish Government has agreed formal reporting requirements regarding the number of remaining problematic spaces with local authorities. We will provide an update to the Education, Children and Young People Committee in due course, subject to receipt of local authority returns.

The City of Edinburgh Council shared this report with officials in the Scottish Government and Scottish Futures Trust last year.

The analysis was based on a sample of 9 schools in May 2021 and showed, for example, that CO2 levels were high because windows were not being opened and rooms were not being flushed during breaks.

The report helped inform the work that the Council subsequently carried out to improve ventilation in schools.

In addition, the report was used to help further develop Scottish Government guidance.

The report was also shared with the expert Ventilation Short Life Working Group to inform their work.

Scottish Government officials have spoken with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) regarding this matter.

SFRS have close working relationships with all Local Authorities, particularly when it comes to fire safety in educational establishments. SFRS have confirmed that they understand the Scottish Government’s approach in seeking to improve ventilation in schools and, in line with business as usual fire safety processes and procedures, they are happy to provide advice and support to Local Authorities regarding any changes to structures which may have an impact upon Fire Risk Assessments.