Deposit Return Scheme for Scotland

That the Parliament notes the Scottish Government's consultation, A Deposit Return Scheme for Scotland, an analysis of which was published on 21 February 2019; welcomes the substantial response that this consultation received from both relevant organisations and interested members of the public; acknowledges that the summary of these responses states that "there was a high level of support for a scheme that includes the widest range of materials possible"; notes the research commissioned by the Have You Got The Bottle? campaign, which estimates that more than 140,000 drinks containers that are littered in Scotland every day would not be were deposits already in place; believes that consistent deposit return systems should be operational throughout the UK, and urges the Scottish Government, which it believes will have considered all options, as well as the economic and business case for such a scheme, to act promptly and announce a well-designed, accessible and fair deposit return system that includes glass, cans, and plastic drinks containers.