The Scottish Government has published a six-year National Litter and Flytipping Strategy; and an ‘action plan’ detailing what the Holyrood Government and its partners and agencies plan in the first year.
SNP Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity, Lorna Slater, said: “Scotland is a beautiful country and we all have a responsibility to keep it that way. This Government makes no apologies for taking bold action on tackling litter and flytipping, which is a blight on our streets, communities and countryside, as well as threatening our natural environment and wildlife.
“This strategy will drive further change in behaviours and the delivery of services. Enforcement is a key theme, and the strategy sets out robust commitments, including raising fixed penalty notices for flytipping to £500 and considering increasing fines further if required.
“It is part of a wider package of measures to tackle Scotland’s throw-away culture, including becoming the first nation in the UK to ban some of the most problematic single-use plastics, a commitment to introduce a charge on single-use cups, the introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme, and reform of extended producer responsibility for packaging.”
The 25-page Strategy document include:
– Fines for fly-tipping to be more than doubled to £500;
– new powers to impose a fine on the registered keeper of a vehicle from which a littering offence is committed;
– A national online litter hub to provide advice to community groups and others on tackling litter and littering behaviour;
– support for private landowners, including funding for trials, to help deter and deal with flytipping affecting their land; and
– action to detect and disrupt fly-tippers, especially unregistered waste carriers advertising online, such as engagement with online platforms and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) activity to tackle those tipping.
Visit https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-litter-flytipping-strategy/documents/.
