The Scottish Government published its Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill on 13th June, which includes proposals for
- establishing a circular economy strategy
- banning the disposal of unsold consumer goods
- bringing in new fines for households failing to recycle
- placing charges on single-use items
- increasing fines for fly tipping and littering from vehicles
Environmental groups say the Bill doesn’t go far enough to promote a genuine circular economy, and must be strengthened. Rather than penalising householders, Scotland’s Circular Economy Bill should tackle the problem upstream by setting consumption targets, that would encourage producers to make products last for longer, ensure they are easy to repair and choose lower carbon-footprint materials.