Cash pot of £600,000 in grant funding

Scotland’s islands could lead a revolution in the way we shop with financial support being provided to eradicate wasteful packaging.
Countless pieces of plastic cutlerycan be found washed up and polluting beaches, including the Western Isles.Countless pieces of plastic cutlerycan be found washed up and polluting beaches, including the Western Isles.
Countless pieces of plastic cutlerycan be found washed up and polluting beaches, including the Western Isles.

Zero Waste Scotland will administer a total of £600,000 in grant funding provided by the Scottish Government and European Regional Development Fund to empower shops, from Shetland to Arran and all the islands in between, to take the next steps in the war on waste by ditching single-use packaging and moving to reusable options.

Single use grocery packaging, from tubs and trays to bottles and bags account for around 13 per cent of all household waste across the country.

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Finance from the Islands Green Recovery Plan – Refillery Fund will be provided for dispensing and other equipment that enables customers to obtain grocery products in reusable containers brought from home. This includes dispensers for dry goods such as cereals, pulses, grains, herbs, spices, pasta and rice, liquid items such as milk, fruit juices, oils and vinegars, and other products such as laundry detergents, washing up liquids, fabric softeners and liquid soaps.

Some pioneering shops have already started using package free dispensers but the new scheme would see cash made available to existing small and medium sized enterprises in the isles to make the transition.

Iain Gulland, chief executive of Zero Waste Scotland, said: “Island communities have to bear the double burden of dealing with imported single-use items and then the shipping-off of waste.

“This scheme gives shops on the islands the chance to be ahead of the game and at the forefront of a positive change.

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“There is an understanding among communities about the damage done by single-use packaging as they see the effects in the countryside, beaches and seas around them.

“As well as reducing waste, by opting for reuse we also reduce our carbon footprint.

The scheme is part of a larger £2m programme designed to inspire locally-led green projects as part of the recovery from the pandemic.

With shortages of some basic items occurring during lockdown, Raasay Stores offered shoppers flour, washing-up liquid and other items to take home in reusable containers.

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David Carslaw, from Raasay Stores, said: “We had all our customers bringing their own containers in and we refilled them, so saving on plastic bottles and bags. It is also cheaper for the customer, so provides better value for money option, and if a customer only needs a small quantity, then that is also an option.

“I would recommend it for its benefit to the environment. We will have to rejig the shop a bit to fit these things in properly, but they have been welcomed by our customers

Applications for funding are open until 5pm on November 16.

For further details contact [email protected] or visit https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/funding/single-use-packaging-targeted-islands-green-recovery-programme