End-of-life fishing and aquaculture gear: An assessment of the potential recycling capacity in Scotland

Footnotes

1 UNEP (2021) Drowning in plastics – Marine litter and plastic waste vital graphics

2 Marine Pollution Bulletin (2024) Fishing plastic waste: knowns and known unknowns

3 UNEP (2021) Drowning in plastics – Marine litter and plastic waste vital graphics

4 Scottish Government Marine Directorate - Marine litter

5 Marine Conservation Society (2024) Beachwatch 2024

6 Scottish Government (2024) Scotland’s Circular Economy and Waste Route Map to 2030

7 Scottish Government (2022) Marine Litter Strategy

8 Scottish Government (2022) Marine Litter Strategy

9 Scottish Government (2019) British-Irish Council Marine Litter Symposium 2019

10 European Fishing Tackle and Trade Association (2025) EPR schemes for fishing gear now mandatory across Europe

11 Resource Futures (2021) Policy options for fishing and aquaculture gear in the UK

12 Resource Futures (2021) Policy options for fishing and aquaculture gear in the UK

13 Resource Futures (2021) Policy options for fishing and aquaculture gear in the UK

14 Resource Futures (2021) Provision of aquaculture gear inventory and disposal management.

15 Four main reprocessors of HDPE, PE, and PP were identified by SEPA.

16 Scottish Government Marine Directorate NMPi: Aquaculture – active fin fish sites

17 Resource Futures (2021) Policy options for fishing and aquaculture gear in the UK

18 Resource Futures (2021) Policy options for fishing and aquaculture gear in the UK

19 Resource Futures (2021) Provision of aquaculture gear inventory and disposal management.

20 Thompson, R (2022) End-of-life fishing gear recycling pilot study for Wales. Welsh Government.

21 INdIGO (2021) Inventory of plastics used in the fishing and aquaculture industry

22 Drakeford, B; Forse, A; Failler, P (2023) The economic impacts of introducing biodegradable fishing gear as a ghost fishing mitigation in the English Channel static gear fishers. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 192.

23 Jackson, W (2023) “Recycle Mor: A sustainable solution to Pembrokeshire's fishing gear problem,” Friends of the Earth Cymru.

24 Churchill-Bisset, J (2022) Recycling commercial trawl nets from harbour to pellet in the UK. UK Government Blogs.

25 Seafish. Managing end of life fishing gear and aquaculture equipment

26 Sala, A; Richardson, K (2023) Fishing gear recycling technologies and practices. Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN and the International Maritime Organization.

27 Resource Futures (2021) Policy options for fishing and aquaculture gear in the UK.

28 Resource Futures (2021) Policy options for fishing and aquaculture gear in the UK.

29 Scottish Government Marine Directorate NMPi: Aquaculture – active fin fish sites

30 Interview with an organisation that reuses EOL gear, June 2025

31 Interview with an aquaculture gear manufacturer, July 2025.

32 Interview with the fishing industry, June 2025

33 Interviews with fishing and aquaculture industry experts, June 2025

34 Interview with a waste expert, June 2025

35 Interview with a gear manufacturer, July 2025

36 Interview with intermediate reprocessor, July 2025

37 Interview with a business reusing EOL gear that does their own reprocessing, August 2025

38 Interview with an organisation that reuses EOL gear and Scottish specialist EOL reprocessor, July 2025

39 Interview with a UK specialist reprocessor, August 2025

40 Interview with reprocessors, July 2025

41 Interview with a harbour authority, July 2025

42 Interview with a specialist reprocessor, July 2025

43 Interview with two Scottish local authorities, June 2025

44 Interview with a waste industry expert, June 2025

45 Interview with a Scottish local authority, June 2025

46 Interview with fishing industry representative, July 2025

47 Interview with waste industry expert, June 2025

48 The site had a waste exemption, which allowed the site to store or treat separate material streams. It was not permitted accept mixed waste.

49 Email correspondence with Scottish plastic reprocessor, July 2025

50 Interview with an organisation that reuses EOL gear, June 2025

51 Interview with an organisation that reuses EOL gear, June 2025

52 Interview with a Scottish specialist EOL gear reprocessor, June 2025

53 Interview with a Scottish specialist EOL gear reprocessor, June 2025

54 Interview with a Scottish specialist EOL gear reprocessor, June 2025

55 Interview with a Scottish specialist EOL gear reprocessor and organisation that reuses EOL gear, June 2025

56 Interview with a Scottish plastic reprocessor, July 2025

57 Salmon Business (2025) Shetland startup processes salmon nets and HDPE into local biofuel.

58 Scottish Government (2024) First Minister confirms awards from Marine Fund Scotland.

59 Interviews with UK reprocessors, June and July 2025

60 Interview with UK reprocessor, June 2025

61 Interviews with UK reprocessors, June and July 2025

62 Interview with mainland European reprocessor, July 2025

63 Interview with mainland European reprocessor, July 2025

64 Interview with mainland European reprocessor, July 2025

65 Interview with European reprocessors, July 2025

66 UK Parliament (2025) Customs rules for trade with the EU.

67 Interview with European reprocessor, July 2025

68 Interview with waste expert, June 2025

69 Interview with aquaculture sector, July 2025

70 Interview with UK reprocessor, July 2025

71 Interview with Northern Irish reprocessor, June 2025

72 Interview with English reprocessor, June 2025

73 Interview with a Scottish plastic reprocessor, June 2025

74 Interview with a Scottish plastic reprocessor, June 2025

75 Interview with mainland European reprocessor, July 2025

76 Fishing News (2024) £14m awarded in Scots marine funding.

77 Interview with Dekmar, July 2025

78 Interview with Dekmar, July 2025

79 Interview with Dekmar, July 2025

80 Interview with Dekmar, July 2025

81 Email correspondence with PTS, July 2025

82 Interview with processor June 2025

83 Email correspondence with PTS, September 2025

84 Email correspondence with PTS, July 2025

85 Interview with processor, June 2025

86 Symbioscentrum (2023) Sotenäs Marine Recycling Centre.

87 Interview with Sotenäs Marine Recycling Centre, June 2025.

88 Charter, M. and Whitehead, P. (2023) Sotenäs Marine Recycling Centre in Sweden: A case study related to waste fishing gear.

89 At the time of writing, the national collection system was not operational due to changes in funding mechanisms, as part of Extended Producer Responsibility for fishing gear in Sweden.

90 Charter, M. and Whitehead, P. (2023) Sotenäs Marine Recycling Centre in Sweden: A case study related to waste fishing gear.

91 Email correspondence with SMRC, September 2025

92 Charter, M. and Whitehead, P. (2023) Sotenäs Marine Recycling Centre in Sweden: A case study related to waste fishing gear.

93 Email correspondence with SMRC, September 2025

94 Email correspondence with SMRC, September 2025

95 Charter, M. and Whitehead, P. (2023) Sotenäs Marine Recycling Centre in Sweden: A case study related to waste fishing gear.

96 BSI (2024) Circular design of fishing gear and aquaculture equipment – General requirements and guidelines.

97 Your Dsposal. EWC code 02 01 04.

98 SEPA data provided to research team.

99 An additional three records were removed by Resource Futures after stakeholder engagement confirmed a site had never accepted fishing or aquaculture gear waste.