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As previously set out, we are working with industry, local government and environmental groups to develop a route map to deliver our waste and recycling targets for 2025. This work will be critical in determining how the waste and resources sector, including local government, will contribute towards lower carbon emissions in the period to 2030 and beyond, including the approach to evaluating progress against our goal to reduce emissions.

Zero Waste Scotland officials have met twice with Scottish Government Ministers in the period February 2021 to present.

Details of both occasions are outlined below and include: meeting date, meeting purpose, location and a list of attendees.

19 Aug 21 - Introductory Ministerial Meeting - Virtual via Microsoft Teams

• Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport, Michael Matheson
• Minister for Environment and Land Reform, Miri McAllan
• Vic Emery, Chair, Zero Waste Scotland
• Iain Gulland, CEO, Zero Waste Scotland
• SG Supporting Officials

27 Sep 21 - Introductory Ministerial Meeting – Virtual via Microsoft Teams

• Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity, Lorna Slater
• Vic Emery, Chair, Zero Waste Scotland
• Iain Gulland, CEO, Zero Waste Scotland
• SG Supporting Officials

The Scottish Government commissioned an Environmental Report as part of a comprehensive consultation process prior to the creation of the Single-use Plastic Regulations recently laid before the Scottish Parliament.

This report is published on the Scottish Government’s website here and shows the following estimated yearly figures used in Scotland for the products requested:

Zero Waste Scotland’s report The Carbon Footprint of Scotland's Household Waste summarises the carbon impacts of Scotland’s household waste using the latest Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) published waste data. This report provides information on the relative carbon and weight-based impacts of Scotland’s waste generated and managed. The most recent data shows that in 2019 the carbon impacts of Scotland’s household waste fell to the lowest on record, 16% below 2011 levels. Further information is available at https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/our-work/carbon-metric-publications .

Data on local authority household recycling rates is published by SEPA and available at https://www.sepa.org.uk/environment/waste/waste-data/waste-data-reporting/household-waste-data/ .

Development and implementation of the IT systems required to deliver Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is a matter for the individual organisations that will play a role in delivering DRS, including the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Circularity Scotland Ltd, and businesses.

SEPA is currently preparing to register producers that fall under the regulations. This includes developing a new digital registration service, which has been designed through targeted user research with expected users of the service. Producers who wish to place scheme articles on the Scottish market will be able to register with SEPA directly or via the Scheme Administrator, Circularity Scotland Ltd.

Development and implementation of the IT systems required to deliver Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is a matter for the individual organisations that will play a role in delivering DRS, including the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Circularity Scotland Ltd, and wider industry. In particular, procurement of reverse vending machines is a matter for retailers choosing to operate automatic return points.

SEPA is working with retailers to help them understand their obligations as return points operators under the Regulations and in compliance with other applicable environmental regulations.

The Scottish Government is working intensively to develop and agree a plan to deliver the scheme that the Scottish Government, the industry and stakeholders can have confidence in. As my statement set out once a timeline is agreed, clear milestones for delivery by Circularity Scotland will be published. However it must be noted that consistent with other producer responsibility schemes, the responsibility for practical implementation of DRS resides with individual retailers and producers, not the Scottish Government.

It is the responsibility of Health Boards to ensure they provide patients with a service for the return and disposal of medicines. Patients should return any unused medicines to a community pharmacy or dispensing doctor to ensure they can be safely and appropriately destroyed. This, coupled with only ordering what a patient requires and letting the pharmacist/prescriber know when a patient has chosen to stop taking a medicine, helps to reduce the overall amount that will need disposal.

No data is collected on the return or disposal of medicines due to the difficult nature of quantifying and recording this information. Health Boards are responsible for ensuring unused medicines are safely disposed of, though are not required to record this data.

In the 2021 Programme for Government, the Scottish Government committed to publishing our first Just Transition Plan as part of the forthcoming Scottish Energy Strategy. The draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, due for publication and consultation in Spring 2022, will take a whole-system view of the energy sector and will also set out what is needed to deliver a just transition for the sector, in line with the principles laid out in our National Transition Planning Framework published in September. We will produce and publish the relevant impact assessments alongside.

The Heat in Buildings Strategy sets out an ambitious policy package to deliver a 68% reduction in emissions from buildings this decade. Alongside the Heat in Buildings Strategy we have conducted the following impact assessments:

• Island Communities Impact Assessment
• Fairer Scotland Duty Impact Assessment
• Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment
• Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment
• Equalities Impact Assessment
• Strategic Environmental Assessment

In relation to the Strategic Environmental Assessment, we will shortly publish a Post Adoption Statement which will be available through the SEA database.

The Scottish Government published its draft Hydrogen Action Plan on 10 Nov 2021 setting out the actions over the next five years necessary to put Scotland on the pathway to becoming a leading hydrogen nation by 2045 in the production of reliable, competitive, sustainable hydrogen.

As part of the development of the draft Hydrogen Action Plan, a Strategic Environmental Assessment report and a partial Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment considering the likely environmental and business and regulatory effects of the Draft Hydrogen Action Plan have been developed.

Following the publication of the Action Plan and its impact assessments, a 10 week consultation will be conducted to allow stakeholders adequate time to provide their views and feedback on the draft plan and its associated impact assessments. Feedback gathered during the consultation will inform the final Hydrogen Action Plan which will be published later in 2022.

Additionally, the Hydrogen Action Plan in action number 3 makes a commitment for the Scottish Government to “develop the data to allow us to monitor and report on progress towards our 5 GW hydrogen ambition on an annual basis”.

Across Scottish Government, business management and monitoring arrangements are in place at Directorate, Director-General and SG-wide levels to ensure the monitoring of all Programme for Government commitments, and their delivery. Contributions towards National Outcomes through all portfolios is further measured and monitored through the National Performance Framework. The aim of all government policy is to work towards achieving the Outcomes in the National Performance Framework. Information on Scotland’s progress on the NPF can be accessed at www.nationalperformance.gov.scot .