Draft Scottish Marine Litter Strategy Consultation

Annex A: Options for Delivery

It should be noted that the disadvantages and advantages highlighted in the tables below are not necessarily comprehensive.

Option 1: Business as usual

Option 1	Disadvantages	Other Possible Disadvantages	Advantages	Other Possible Advantages
	Would risk continuation of the current situation, where conflicts and uncertainty about the management of marine litter remain. Risk the MSFD Descriptor 10 will not be achieved. Marine litter management will remain uncoordinated across several policy domains. The profile of marine litter will remain relatively low in the public eye. Marine litter initiatives may not feature prominently in marine planning. Monitoring and data collection continues across a diverse user landscape and problems with compatibility continue.	High cost to society Risk that vision for Marine Litter Strategy is not delivered. Zero Waste Scotland initiatives might cover terrestrial waste but questions over extent that marine is covered. Might only cover pockets of the country. Effective only for delivering MSFD.	Low cost model. Improvements to marine litter will occur indirectly from the variety of initiatives in other sectors such as the National Litter Strategy, Zero Waste Plan and Low Carbon Economic Strategy.

Option 2: Implement the Strategy: low cost networked approach

Option 2	Disadvantages	Other Possible Disadvantages	Advantages	Other Possible Advantages
	Key proposals that require co-ordination and leadership may not evolve. A risk that the profile of the marine litter problem is not raised sufficiently in public and private circles.	Risk that vision for Marine Litter Strategy is not delivered. Risk that MSFD is not delivered.	In the current climate of fiscal tightening this option may achieve both the co-ordination that is necessary for reducing marine litter and promoting reforms but using a model that is relatively low cost. Obligations under MSFD and GES are addressed. The Strategy links to key areas of development including the National Litter Strategy, Zero Waste Plan and the Low Carbon Economic Strategy.	National co-ordinated approach

Option 3: Implement the Strategy: high cost and centralised approach

Option 3	Disadvantages	Other Possible Disadvantages	Advantages	Other Possible Advantages
	A relatively high cost model that is resource intensive. Will require resources for co-ordination and delivery.		A dedicated team is able to champion and drive the changes indicated in the actions. Committed resources potentially drive match funding from industry and EU. A high profile public Strategy raises the profile of marine litter and begins to shape behaviours. A central unit and office is established to co-ordinate the initiative and administer the steering group.	GES targets under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive will be met or exceeded. Ideal time to implement while changes to marine planning and management are being made in Scotland. National co-ordinated approach.

Option 4: Implement the Strategy: medium cost and networked approach

Option 4	Disadvantages	Advantages
	Will require resources for co-ordination and delivery.	Medium cost model A dedicated team is able to champion and drive the changes indicated in the actions. A high profile public Strategy raises the profile of marine litter and begins to shape behaviours. Co-ordinated approach to develop the Strategy and administer the steering group. The Strategy links to key areas of development including the National Litter Strategy, Zero Waste Plan and the Low Carbon Economic Strategy. Obligations under MSFD and GES are met and could go beyond that.

Overview of which strategic directions will be achieved by each option

	Option 1	Option 2	Option 3	Option 4
Strategic Direction 1: Improve public awareness of, and behaviour changes around, marine litter	No	Yes (limited effect beyond that achieved under option 1)	Yes	Yes
Strategic Direction 2: Reduction of land-sourced marine litter entering the marine environment, in parallel to the National Litter Strategy.	Yes (via existing initiatives and MSFD measures)	Yes (limited effect beyond that achieved under option 1)	Yes	Yes
Strategic Direction 3: Contribute to a low carbon economy by treating 'waste as a resource' and seizing the economic and environmental opportunities associated with the Zero Waste Plan.	Yes (via existing initiatives and MSFD measures)	Yes (limited effect beyond that achieved under option 1)	Yes (but would need to be co-ordinated with Zero Waste Plan to maximise benefits)	Yes (but would need to be co-ordinated with Zero Waste Plan to maximise benefits
Strategic Direction 4: Improvement of monitoring at a Scottish scale.	Yes (via MSFD monitoring and surveillance but may not be fine grain enough given MSFD scale)	Possibly (but very limited due to absence of central funding under this option)	Yes (and opportunity to better address at Scottish scale)	Yes (and opportunity to better address at Scottish scale)
Strategic Direction 5: Stakeholder engagement at the UK, EU and international scales.	Yes	Yes (limited increase in effectiveness)	Yes	Yes

Delivery of Strategic Directions under Option 4

This Annex considers what is currently being done and identifies some actions required to achieve the five Strategic Directions under an Option 4 based Marine Litter Strategy.

Strategic Direction 1: Improve public and business awareness of, and behaviour changes around, marine litter

• The Strategy will recognise that the challenge of addressing marine litter levels will require a change in public attitudes and behaviour towards the appropriate disposal of litter.

A recent paper highlighted that 75% of people saw litter as a threat or serious threat to the marine environment (Public perceptions of Europe's Seas - A policy brief 2011). Research by Keep Scotland Beautiful in 2007 highlighted that people were most bothered by litter on beaches and in their own neighbourhoods. Both statistics show that the public have an awareness of the threat to our environment, economy and their own enjoyment, however, changing the behaviour of the 47% of the Scottish public who still admit to littering, is a different challenge, as it reducing the biggest proportion of monitored marine litter which is attributable to the public.

A plethora of public awareness campaigning and behaviour change activities are delivered in pockets across the country. All these examples of good practice make a localised difference to individual and community behaviours, however in order to tackle the issue of coastal and marine litter nationally, there is a need for these activities to be co-ordinated and replicated across Scotland. Alongside the Marine Litter Strategy, the National Litter Strategy is being consulted on, and anti-littering campaigns for terrestrial litter may be planned in the future. There are specific audiences and activities which generate marine and coastal litter and may need to be addressed to reduce land-sourced marine litter. A business as usual approach may lead to improved public awareness and behaviour change however it is likely to be localised and unsustainable. The delivery of a Marine Litter Strategy has the opportunity to add value to any terrestrial anti-litter campaign and to deliver real change in a co-ordinated manner working with all sectors.

Strategic Direction 2: Reduction of land-sourced marine litter entering the marine environment, in parallel to the National Litter Strategy

• The Strategy needs to advocate an integrated approach across land-sea to stop marine litter at source.

The current level of baseline data for Scotland is limited, as outlined in Strategic Direction 4. Without such data it is difficult to know the true extent of litter in Scotland's coastal and marine waters. It is thought that the volume of litter entering our seas is increasing, and while campaigns and projects across the country are working to remove litter from a myriad of sources and significant impacts are being made to tackle the legacy, preventing the litter, particularly of identifiable items ( e.g. drinks bottles, cotton buds) at source is the key.

There is some evidence to suggest that a reduction of terrestrial sources of litter from beaches will prevent more from entering the marine environment if nothing further is done to stop the activity at source. However, this only applies to those beaches under active management by local authorities, land owners and communities. Some such activities include:

• In 2011 a survey carried out by Keep Scotland Beautiful at award winning beaches revealed that 7% of beaches fell below the legal Grade B standard as outlined in the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse (Scotland) 2006. 7% achieved Grade C while 0% fell to a Grade D standard. In 2010 5% achieved a Grade D and 15% fell below the legal standard. These figures show that managed beaches are being cleansed and achieving standards outlined in the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse which supports the Environment Protection Act 1990 ( EPA).
• 230 beach clean-up events took place as part of National Spring Clean 2012 - all removing litter from beaches which prevents it entering, or re-entering the marine environment.
• 131 tonnes of rubbish were removed from Scottish waters as part of the Fishing for Litter project (June 1st 2011 - May 31st 2012), again reducing litter in the marine environment.

Campaigns such as the Scottish Water Bag it and Bin it could be revived to reduce sewage related litter at source, and the zero waste agenda involves work towards giving all products a value so they are not disposed, but because of the wide variety of litter sources (marine based and terrestrial based) unless the issue is tackled in a united way the impact of these initiatives may be lessened. A Marine Litter Strategy that aims to significantly reduce the risk to the environment and our economy needs to build upon existing campaigns and projects and tackle key sources which have a major impact.

Strategic Direction 3: Contribute to a low carbon economy by treating 'waste as a resource' and seizing the economic and environmental opportunities associated with the Zero Waste Plan

• The Strategy would align with this broader move towards resource and waste efficiency

Strategic Direction 4: Improvement of monitoring at a Scottish scale

• The extent and spread of litter across the whole marine environment (in marine biota, across the water column and on beaches) must be monitored to allow us to adequately assess our seas.

The current level of baseline data for Scotland is limited and is mostly restricted to coastal surveys for marine litter. Data gathering is heavily reliant on charities and volunteers, for example the Marine Conservation Society's Beachwatch programme and Keep Scotland Beautiful.

Some data does exist for benthic and suspended litter but to a lesser extent than that provided by coastal surveys, with KIMO's Fishing for Litter and Marine Scotland Science vessels providing the majority of this information.

The recent Marine Strategy Framework Directive consultation's preferred option for litter targets and indicators included surveillance indicators only for floating litter, microplastic litter and litter in biota. Decreases in absolute numbers of items were proposed for beach litter.

To get a good understanding of how litter is dispersed around its seas and coastlines, and to propose appropriate measures to best tackle it, a Scottish Strategy could include a finer scale of monitoring to identify 'hot spots' of litter created by local sources, pathways or sinks. Government led data collection Strategy could also ensure a consistent level of scientific and statistical reliability.

Strategic Direction 5: Stakeholder engagement at the UK, EU and international scales

• The Strategy would provide an improved platform to influence action more broadly at the UK, EU and international levels.