Tackling Single-use Packaging

That the Parliament welcomes the proposals set out in the report by the Scottish Government's Expert Panel on Environmental Charging and Other Measures, Recommendations on Single-use Disposable Beverage Cups, which was published in July 2019; further welcomes the call from the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland, Friends of the Earth Scotland, the Marine Conservation Society, Surfers Against Sewage, and Greenpeace for the implementation of the proposals in the report and on further action to reduce single-use packaging in Scotland, reduce litter and boost the circular economy; supports the proposals to ban the use of PVC and expanded polystyrene in all food packaging by 2021, in line with the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive; supports pilot schemes for reusable hot drinks' cups so that a national scheme of this kind can complement the forthcoming deposit return scheme; believes that all remaining plastic food packaging sold in Scotland should be made from readily recyclable polymers by 2025; calls for a reduced reliance on all single-use carrier bags and an end to those made from plastic; recognises the need to ensure that accessibility for disabled people is not reduced and to look for ways in which accessibility and sustainability can be enhanced simultaneously, and urges industry and community groups to support moves of this kind towards a more truly circular economy.