Kenneth welcomed the announcement made by Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham MSP on Wednesday, that Scotland’s new Deposit Return Scheme will include aluminium and steel cans as well as drinks containers made of glass and Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic with a 20p deposit as part of plans to combat climate change. The ambitious scheme, which Scotland was the first in the UK to commit to, is based on successful international equivalents and will be widely accessible, with all shops which sell drinks offering deposit refunds to customers. In response to her statement, Kenneth asked Ms Cunningham to provide an assurance that return accessibility - for example, for people without cars - will be a key consideration in relation to implementation, so that people can make returns with ease. The Cabinet Secretary confirmed her commitment to working with retailers in the coming months to test different return, storage and collection arrangements. In addition, the SNP Government will consider options for retailers to access support to acquire reverse vending machines, when they choose to operate automated returns. Those matters will be taken forward by the implementation advisory group. To view the exchange, click on the image above.
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