Academics have called for Scotland’s forthcoming deposit return scheme to include drinks containers of every material.
In a letter to The Scotsman newspaper (5 December), six boffins said: “Holyrood must hold its nerve and ensure no materials are excluded from the proposed DRS scheme on the back of industry pressure.”
It was signed by senior marine and environment academics from the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University and Heriot-Watt University.
They believe that only an all-in deposit return scheme will truly benefit the environment and end the blight of litter on Scotland’s beaches.
The letter also said “special interests” were lobbying for certain materials to be excluded from the scheme, “riding roughshod over the public’s concerns about oceans and wildlife”.
