Greater powers granted to crack down on 'drive-thru litter ditchers', Scottish Greens announce

Councils will have greater power to crack down on drive-thru litter ditchers and illegal fly-tippers under new powers introduced by the Scottish Green Party.

Those who dump sofas, fridges and building rubble in countryside lanes will be among those targeted in the Circular Economy Bill, introduced by MSP Lorna Slater on Wednesday.

Other changes include charging for things like single use coffee cups to help persuade people to turn to reusable ones instead, responsible bin use, and setting local recycling targets and tracking emissions more closely.

Welcoming the new powers, Scottish Greens environment spokesperson Mark Ruskell MSP said the changes will target “lazy, anti-social behaviour” and the country’s growing “throw away culture”.

He said: “Most people will be sick of watching drivers and passengers throwing rubbish out of cars and it’s a common sight to see a load of building materials or furniture dumped by the roadside.

“One of the big changes being brought in by Lorna Slater is to make sure that goods which are perfectly fine, but just haven’t sold, can’t simply be destroyed because retailers want to stock something else.

“The images of big companies junking brand new household goods are shocking, especially in a cost of living crisis when people have very little income left over each month to buy the things they need.

“Tackling dumping should make a real difference to our communities, especially if councils have the right tools and powers they need.

“We are on a long journey to creating a greener, more environmentally sound future for Scotland and this as a positive step forward.”