£70m bill for Scotland's rubbish

Clearing up Scotland’s rubbish is costing over £70m a year, according to an environmental charity.

President of Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB), Derek Robertson, said the price of litter across Europe is £10bn, including £73m in Scotland.

Chairing the Stop Litter Now! summit which is being held in Brussels today, Robertson added this price extends beyond the financial cost, pointing to proven links between littered environments and significant health and environmental impacts.

He said: “This £10 billion cost equates to over £20 for every man, woman and child across the EU - a shocking statistic, and one which should startle policy-makers into long-overdue action. We welcome the European Commission’s waste directive reference to litter for the first time, that is a significant step forward, but there is still not enough emphasis on litter prevention.

“We can all argue about who pays the cost of cleaning up, but what is vital is that we prioritise the creation of clean communities in the first place. We want to build and strengthen a culture of cleanliness across Europe.”

This £10 billion cost equates to over £20 for every man, woman and child across the EU

Robertson, who is also president of the Clean Europe Network, added: “In Scotland, we want our country to be the cleanest country in Europe by 2020 and build a litter free Europe by 2030. With 500,000 people in Scotland having already played their part in changing their local environment - our domestic Clean Up Scotland Campaign is genuinely showing the way ahead to the rest of Europe.”

The summit brings together a wide range of stakeholders, including non-government organisations (NGOs), the public sector and global private sector companies, to identify causes and propose solutions to Europe’s litter crisis.

It will hear evidence on the scale of the problem, and look for ways in which member states can work together to change behaviour and clear up the mess.

The conference will also hear about the success of the Clean Up Scotland Campaign, which has drawn together a national coalition comprising the Scottish Government, local authorities, the private sector, voluntary sector organisations and the general public.