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Outputs from the workstream “Securing re-processing capacity and determining the impact on existing infrastructure” include:

• Analysis of the impact of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) on individual local authority recycling collections services and infrastructure.
• Additional analysis of the impact on residual waste management associated with the removal of DRS materials from the residual waste stream.
• A financial and infrastructure impact assessment for the waste and resources sector.
• Activity relating to reprocessing, including work to attract investment in Scottish-based PET reprocessing capacity as well as engagement with the existing glass reprocessing operators in Scotland.

Outputs from the workstream “Communications” include:

• Outputs focussed on raising awareness of DRS with the public, producers, retailers and communities, including website, creative content, stakeholder and consumer events, information campaigns, and sponsorships.
• Research projects to inform consumer messaging, equalities, and campaign development, as well as to assist with communications aspects of scheme implementation.

We have been making progress over recent years on meeting the target however the current household recycling rate figures indicate that there is more to do to ensure we achieve it.

We have set out an ambitious programme to go further in increasing recycling rates and supporting the circular economy, for example we will be hosting a summit by the end of this year to ensure a more consistent, efficient and easier to understand approach to recycling and recently launched the circular economy bill consultation paper.

The Scottish Government is committed to reducing littering and delivering against the National Litter Strategy. In 2018, we published the updated Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse (CoPLAR) and we will bringing forward legislation for a new penalty regime for littering from vehicles as part of the Circular Economy Bill, which are commitments we made in the National Litter Strategy. The National Litter Strategy contains a commitment to conduct a review in 2020 and we are currently considering how best we take this forward.

Local Authorities are the lead enforcing authority for contaminated land and are responsible for making information on contaminated land in their area publically accessible via public registers.

Flood Map data made available by The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) provides a nationally valuable resource in support of strategic flood risk decisions. SEPA aims to develop the Flood Maps to ensure the data is more readily and widely available and the Scottish Government is discussing with SEPA how this might best be achieved.

The following table sets out a breakdown of the £1.8 million programme planned expenditure relating to the Deposit Return Scheme.

The Resource Efficient Circular Economy Accelerator Programme is a multi-year intervention that is expected to run until the end of 2022.

Any unspent funding will be allocated in future phases of the programme to grant applicants, to act as a catalyst for innovation and to embed a circular and sustainable Scottish Economy.

It will be for the producers with responsibility for delivering the deposit return scheme (DRS), through any scheme administrator, to determine the best approach to recycling materials collected through the scheme. We are committed to working with industry to maximise the economic opportunities associated with DRS.

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting local authority collection arrangements for a range of packaging materials alongside the deposit return scheme (DRS). Zero Waste Scotland is working with local authorities individually to explore the impacts on, and opportunities for, collection services and infrastructure as a result of DRS. In addition, we are reviewing the Scottish Household Recycling Charter Code of Practice to take account of the impact of DRS, and ZWS Scotland will continue to offer a range of advice and support to local authorities.

The Scottish Government has written to a wide range of stakeholders to make them aware of the position.

The general public have an important role to play in reducing the amount of materials they throw into their residual waste. They can do this by using less and recycling more. The recently published Food Waste Reduction Action Plan will help with this, as will the wide range of consumer campaigns run by Scottish Government and Zero Waste Scotland throughout each year.

It is important to note that the ban itself will be enforced at landfill sites. SEPA has already published guidance on implementing the ban and has written to stakeholders to ensure awareness and establish their state of readiness. In addition Zero Waste Scotland is developing communications material for use by commercial operators to increase awareness of the ban amongst their customers.

The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) Implementation Advisory Group (IAG) was established as a forum to engage with representatives of producers and retailers, as the sectors which will be directly involved in operating DRS.

In addition to the IAG we continue to engage with interested parties on DRS including the glass industry and consumers. Scottish Government officials most recently met with representatives of the glass sector on 27 and 28 August 2019; in-depth qualitative research work with consumers is being taken forward as part of a programme of wider engagement in preparation for the scheme’s implementation.