Soft drink giant Coca-Cola has welcomed the Scottish government’s announcement to develop a charter to make it easier for people to recycle.
A household recycling charter is the key recommendation from the Zero Waste Taskforce, a joint initiative between Scottish Ministers and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).
Coca-Cola Enterprises has welcomed the decision, insisting it has long called for a more consistent approach by local authorities to recycling collection schemes.
“Having talked to our consumers about their attitudes to recycling, many are still not clear on what materials can be recycled, what materials are collected by their local authority, what the benefit of recycling is, and many say that schemes can be difficult to understand. This initiative should help make it easier for Scottish householders to recycle. The Scottish Government and COSLA should be congratulated for this positive step,” read a company statement.
The proposal is one of several aimed at boosting recycling in Scotland, and will focus on the design and operation of collection services as well as communication material.
If agreed by council leaders, all local authorities will be invited to sign up to the charter, making recycling schemes more consistent across the country.
There is presently a variety of different systems for collecting paper, glass, plastics, food waste and general waste across Scotland.
This can lead to materials becoming contaminated and losing value, fetching lower prices, and simultaneously increasing the costs to councils for sorting and cleaning.
Scotland’s Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead (pictured), said consistent systems will underpin a more circular economy – with valuable materials in circulation that can be reused, repaired or remanufactured, and avoid them going to landfill.
“We have the opportunity to move from different recycling systems across 32 local authorities to a more common approach, based on best practice in different geographical areas. I am looking forward to working with COSLA on the next steps to finalise the charter and develop the detailed best practice that underpins these key principles.”
