Marine litter strategy for Scotland: consultation analysis

In co-ordination with the National Litter and Flytipping Strategy delivery team, strengthen the enforcement of litter and flytipping regulations.

1) Conduct an evidence review of the barriers to enforcement.

2) Make necessary changes subject to the outcome of the evidence review.

1) Short term

2) Medium to long term

Scottish Government - Zero Waste Policy Team

Develop a waste management scheme that assures improved management of end-of-life fishing gear. Work will include evidence gathering, industry engagement, policy and legislative development, and consultation.

A waste management scheme for fishing gear (including aquaculture). To align with the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive.

Medium (delivery end of 2024)

Scottish Government - Marine Scotland

Work with the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) to develop a standard for the circular design of fishing gear to facilitate better waste management and reduce environmental impact.

A CEN standard for the circular design of fishing gear (including aquaculture).

Medium (delivery end of 2024)

Marine Scotland

Extend access to Port Waste Reception Facilities to fishing vessels.

All main fishing ports to facilitate responsible end of life gear disposal without additional charges.

Long term

Scottish Government to continue to work with Defra, MCA and other relevant partners on the implementation of this reserved matter

Explore the potential to support the waste sector to consider recycling opportunities for degraded and contaminated marine plastics, including fishing gear.

Capability for processing of marine litter in Scotland.

Long term

Scottish Government

Develop, launch and run an awareness raising campaign to promote behaviour change and highlight inappropriate flushing of wet wipes and sanitary items containing plastics down the toilet. The campaign will aim to significantly reduce the 36,000 sewer blockages that Scottish Water resolves per annum.

Launch and run a new customer awareness campaign.

Short - medium term (2022-2025)

Scottish Water

Promote across Scottish businesses and across the British Irish Council Region the BSI PAS standard on plastic pellets, flakes and powders. This sets out standards for handling and management of pellets throughout the supply chain to prevent their leakage to the environment.

Increase the numbers of businesses adopting the BSI PAS.

Short - long term

Marine Scotland

Work with the plastics industry to ensure the minimum requirements, as agreed with OSPAR, to ensure effectiveness, stringency and transparency are met in the development of a certification scheme to demonstrate implementation of third party auditing of the sites handling or managing plastic pellets.

An international plastic pellet certification scheme.

Short - long term

Marine Scotland with the plastics industry

Review uptake of the PAS, and membership of an international plastic pellet certification scheme, once developed.

Review of effectiveness of supply chain approach.

Long term

Marine Scotland with the plastics industry

Give support to the development or trials of new tools or technologies that could be of use to the Scottish fishing industry, in order to achieve successful retrieval of lost fishing gear.

Engage with technology companies and fishing industry to support uptake of available technology or gear which would improve the likelihood of retrieving lost fishing gear.

Medium - long term

Marine Scotland - Clean Seas Policy Team, Inshore Fisheries Team; MLSSG

Work with the British Standards Institution and the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) to ensure all elements of the waste hierarchy are reflected during the development of the CEN standard for circular design of fishing and aquaculture gear, including supporting reuse by reducing the incidence of gear loss.

CEN standard for the circular design of fishing and aquaculture gear, which includes specifications to address gear loss.

Medium (delivery end of 2024)

Marine Scotland

Investigate the potential for legislation to ban the manufacture and sale of wet wipes containing plastic, with a requirement that any alternatives meet the 'Fine to Flush' standard.

Measures to reduce plastic pollution from wet wipes.

Medium - long term

Marine Scotland - Clean Seas Policy Team

Taking an evidence-based approach, consider a range of policy options to reduce sources of sewage-related debris.

Measures to reduce plastic pollution from various types of sewage-related debris.

Long term

Marine Scotland - Clean Seas Policy Team

Improve understanding of the source of SRD pollution by increasing monitoring of Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs). Expand the network of permanent Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) facilities across the CSOs in Scotland.

Install 31 additional permanent EDM facilities.

Short term (FY 2022/23)

Scottish Water, SEPA

Continued development of Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) programme, to install permanent EDM facilities in Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs).

Gather evidence and consider development of 246 permanent EDM facilities locations and consider further monitoring as part of Scottish Water's intelligent networks roll-out.

Short - long term (phased work during 2021-2027)

Scottish Water, SEPA

Development of screening at Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) to reduce the quantity of SRD released during spill events.

29 CSO screens designed and developed.

Short term (2022-2023)

Scottish Water

Better understand the impact of SRD by carrying out focused Aesthetic and Feasibility Studies in the Glasgow and Paisley/Renfrew catchments. The aim of the studies is to confirm whether an intermittent discharge (ID) is causing aesthetic impacts from SRD pollution and provide indicative solutions to resolve these issues.

Complete five aesthetic studies.

Long term (2021-2027)

Scottish Water

Explore a mechanism to assist communities to reduce costs in disposing of large volumes of collected beach litter.

Information to assist relevant parties (e.g. community groups, NGOs) to dispose of large volumes of beach litter without prohibitive financial costs.

Short - medium term

Scottish Government - Marine Scotland

Expansion of the Keep Scotland Beautiful Upstream Battle project or equivalent riverine project.

Three of Scotland's main rivers to be involved in litter projects that include removal and responsible disposal of waste.

Medium term

MLSSG, KSB

Promote the Fishing for Litter scheme within the fishing industry and to ports, harbours and fishers not currently participating.

Increase the total number of vessels participating in the FfL schemes in Scotland by 50% by 2025, compared to a baseline situation in 2021. [NB this figure is currently provisional]

Medium term

KIMO International

Through a (series of) pilot project(s), quantify the practical, economic and logistical challenges of recycling (fouled) marine litter.

Reports from pilot project(s) will detail outcomes and provide suggestions for wider uptake of recycling of marine litter.

Medium term

KIMO International

Stage 1: Project to identify sections of the Clyde suitable for boom instalment. Boom to be installed, litter levels monitored, and debris removed.

Litter boom installed, monitored, and a final report delivered.

Medium term

Scottish Government - Marine Scotland, Zero Waste Scotland, Glasgow City Council, SEPA

Stage 2: Using the outputs from Stage 1, install technologies to remove waste continually in conjunction with boom.

A fully automated litter removal system installed and active in the Clyde.

Medium - long term

Scottish Government - Marine Scotland, Zero Waste Scotland, Glasgow City Council, SEPA

In alignment with OSPAR's Fishing for Litter guidelines (i) increase engagement in both new and participating harbours to weigh and monitor FfL waste, and (ii) improve the quality of data collection through training and awareness-raising.

Annual project reports will include weighing and monitoring data from participating harbours, where possible.

Short - medium term

KIMO International

Work with the UK marine litter community and Defra to i) expand OSPAR monitoring beaches to include an open coast northeast beach, and ii) ensure appropriate monitoring data is available to the Quality Status Report 2023 (QSR2023) assessment team.

An accurate OSPAR QSR2023 assessment of regional marine plastics.

Short term

Marine Scotland - Environment Monitoring and Assessment Programme

Work with MASTS and others (Joint Research Council and OSPAR) to contribute to the work to develop a harmonised method for microplastics assessment in sediments. Contribute to the development of an OSPAR agreed methodology for sediment microplastic monitoring.

Joint Research Council microplastics in sediment assessment methodology; and an OSPAR agreed methodology for sediment microplastic monitoring.

Long term

Marine Scotland, Heriot Watt University, MASTS

Use of a public attitudes survey to obtain data on how the Scottish public values their marine environment, and what actions they would be willing to take to protect it.

A public attitudes survey report

Long term

Scottish Government Marine Analytical Unit

Work with island communities and the Scottish Islands Federation to i) improve monitoring of beach litter on Scottish islands, and ii) understand the sources of marine litter on Scottish island foreshores.

1) To establish an initial pilot study in order to define the issues involved.

2) Using results of pilot study to initiate a Scottish Islands Beach Litter Monitoring Programme.

1) Medium term

2) long term

MLSSG, Marine Scotland

Identify opportunities to engage with relevant authorities and organisations to promote marine litter work.

Attendance at COSLA, islands, Local Coastal Partnership, NGO network, and relevant business events.

Short - long term

MLSSG

Work with UK Government and Devolved Administrations to share UK-wide approaches on shared issues where appropriate.

Collaborate with UK Government and Devolved Administration colleagues on litter policies relevant to Scotland.

Short - long term

Marine Scotland

Lead on a relevant task within the updated OSPAR Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter (once published).

Identify a task at the European or international level that would contribute to the work of the Marine Litter Strategy - task lead and publication of papers.

Short - long term

Marine Scotland

Scotland to be represented at two OSPAR committees: Environmental Impact of Human Activities (EIHA); Hazardous Substances and Eutrophication (HASEC).

Attendance and participation at committee meetings.

Short - long term

Marine Scotland

Through the role of co-chairing the Marine Litter Working Group, Marine Scotland will identify tasks for collaboration regarding shared marine litter problems.

New joint commitments from British-Irish Council members on marine litter.

Long term

Marine Scotland