Scottish Ministers recently consulted over their proposals to ban several single-use plastic items from sale. These measures will reduce litter, so we're pleased they haven't been dropped despite the pandemic. Here are a few of the key points we made in our response:

We agree that single-use plastic cutlery, plates, stirrers and balloon sticks, single-use polystyrene food containers and cups and all oxo-degradable products should be banned from sale

There's no point just banning the sale of these items - their manufacture should be banned as well

Some disabled people need plastic straws, so a ban isn't the right course of action there

This is a good start, but Ministers need to be more ambitious and bring in a comprehensive system under which all materials which can't be reused or recycled are banned, and all manufacturers are required to take back all products and all packaging for reuse or recycling

Our full response can be read at https://aprs.scot/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/21.01.04-APRS-response-to-consultation-on-introducing-market-restrictions-on-single-use-plastic-items-in-Scotland.pdf Go on, have a look, we promise it won't take you that long to read it!