Question reference: S6W-04540
- Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 19 November 2021
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Current status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 1 December 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether local authorities that have signed contracts, which may be up to 25 years, to provide aluminium, plastics and glass to waste management companies will be compensated if or when they are no longer able to provide these volumes as a result of a proportion being captured by the deposit return scheme.
Answer
Recyclate contracts are typically much shorter than residual waste management arrangements, normally 1 to 3 years. Modelling by Zero Waste Scotland projects that for 29 out of the 32 Scottish local authorities, cost savings from residual waste reductions as a result of the Deposit Return Scheme will be greater than any lost recyclate-related income. Zero Waste Scotland is working with the three remaining local authorities to see how their collection and processing systems can be reshaped following introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme to realise efficiencies and to help mitigate any potential losses. Local authorities are also expected to benefit from a reduction in the impact of litter, for instance through reduced demand for street cleansing.
We are taking key steps to support local authorities in the introduction of our Deposit Return Scheme, to help meet our ambitious waste reduction, recycling and climate change targets. This includes making our first investments from the £70m Recycling Improvement Fund to support local authorities in improving recycling infrastructure, and working with local government partners to review the Household Recycling Charter’s Code of Practice, to help make it easier for householders to recycle the right things. The review will ensure that the Code of Practice continues to enshrine best practice and prepares local authorities for the implementation of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS).