Half a million plastic bottles could be kept out of the environment in the Highlands thanks to a scheme that will encourage people to recycle more and litter less.
Figures published by environmental body Zero Waste Scotland reveal the scale of plastic bottle dumping in the Highlands – and how it will be reduced by Scotland’s deposit return scheme.
Under the scheme, shoppers will pay a 20 pence deposit when buying drinks purchased in single-use plastic or glass bottles and aluminium or steel cans.
People will get their money back when they return their empty container for recycling.
That 20p will give people an extra incentive to recycle their empty bottles and cans, and hopefully make people think twice about dropping them.
The figures show that people in the Highland Council area use 30 million plastic bottles every year
An estimated 539,600 plastic bottles are littered in Highland each year – Zero Waste Scotland anticipates a 90% reduction in litter for the materials included in the scheme.
This would mean close to 486,000 fewer plastic bottles dropped in Highland each year.
With plastic bottles only one of the materials included in the scheme, the overall impact on litter is expected to be even higher.
Jill Farrell, chief operating officer at Zero Waste Scotland said: “The great thing about the Deposit Return Scheme is it will give people a 20 pence incentive to do the right thing with their empty bottles – take them back for recycling, rather than risk them ending up on our streets or in our rivers.”