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As I stated in my response to S6W-12237 on 1 December 2022, it is for retailers (in consultation with the scheme administrator, Circularity Scotland Ltd) to decide how to comply with the obligation to provide a takeback service for scheme articles sold online. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has published guidance to support retailers in complying with their obligations: https://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/waste/deposit-return-scheme/retailers/online-retailers/

The Scottish Government has engaged with both SEPA and the Royal Environment Health Institute of Scotland regarding the food safety and hygiene aspects of the online takeback element of DRS. Waste materials and fresh food could be carried in the same vehicle as long as there is sufficient separation and a barrier to prevent contamination (both of the waste and the food). We are confident that, with reasonable steps, a retailer will be able to manage this risk.

Furthermore, retailers are permitted to contract third party businesses, such as registered waste carriers, to carry out collections on their behalf.

Further information and guidance on registering as a waste carrier is available from SEPA.

https://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/waste/waste-carriers-and-brokers/

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12241 on‎ 1 December 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

We are considering measures to address concerns that have been raised by industry, including representatives of the food delivery industry, regarding the obligation to provide a takeback service for scheme articles sold online under Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS).

As part of this work, the Scottish Government has engaged with a range of stakeholders, including representatives of Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats on 20 October 2022. The same organisations previously met with the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity on 6 October 2022. Representatives of the food delivery industry also attended an online takeback workshop hosted by the Scottish Government on 17 February 2022.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12239 on‎ 1 December 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Empty drink containers (scheme packaging) are waste and, therefore, subject to regulatory control. Any business that operates a takeback service should ensure that they, or their service provider, are authorised to carry and transport waste and are registered as a waste carrier.

A business only needs to hold one waste carriers licence – there is no need for each employee to register separately unless they are self-employed individuals. Further information and guidance on registering as a waste carrier is available from SEPA.https://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/waste/waste-carriers-and-brokers/ .

The Scottish Government does not provide training in this regard.

We are aware of the emerging issues around single-use vaping products. We will be discussing this with our local authority partners, who have responsibility for providing advice on responsible disposal of waste in their area.

The Scottish Government has established the National Strategy for Economic Transformation Delivery Board to oversee the successful implementation of our economic strategy. As part of the Delivery Board’s work, it will engage with key delivery partners like Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) in driving a ‘Team Scotland’ approach to transforming the Scottish economy. A recent example is the involvement of ZWS in the Delivery Board’s Green Economy Jobs deep dive with delivery partners to explore what is being done to secure green jobs in Scotland.

Neither SEPA nor the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service hold any central statistics that would indicate the number of fires caused in waste or recycling facilities by lithium contained within disposable vaping products being crushed.

Scottish Government is aware of this issue, and through our regular sector forum with stakeholders across the Scottish resources and waste sector, discussions are ongoing to look at what more can be done to build understanding and tackle this issue in partnership with the sector.

The Scottish Government is aware of the environmental impact of single-use disposable vapes. Along with the other UK administrations, we are working on reforms to the extended producer responsibility system for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), including vapes, to make it easier for consumers to dispose of WEEE more responsibly.

We have not carried out any specific assessment of the environmental impact of single-use disposable vapes.

The recent BBC investigation was heavily reliant on data sourced from third party websites and limited anecdotal evidence from a very small proportion of the network as opposed to comprehensive, consistent, verified data directly from the CPS operator. The third party website utilised in their investigation does not present accurate up-to-date information and should be treated with caution when used to form the basis of overarching claims about reliability.

CPS network reliability has consistently improved in the last year, with the entire network now up and running at around 95% of the time each month. Furthermore, the vast majority of faults are being closed swiftly and with minimal impact on driver experience with approximately 90% closed within 24-48 hours.

The CPS website now provides the public with ready access to detailed information on the performance of the public charging network, showing each charge point’s reliability levels, fault history and usage. CPS is also working closely with third party EV charging websites to ensure they have access to more up-to-date information.