Keep Scotland Beautiful

If you've picked up a takeaway drink - this morning, yesterday, ever - did you use a reusable cup? If you didn’t, and you used a single-use cup, how would you have felt if you had to pay a charge for it? The Scottish Government’s public consultation on single-use cup charges will close on 14 November. If you’re unsure about what to say or looking for more information to help make your decision, below you’ll find some of the key points we’re calling for in our response: ◾ The introduction of a charge on all single-use cups as soon as possible. ◾ Proceeds from a charge to be used to make it easy for people to recycle effectively and/or to develop infrastructure which makes it the norm for people to borrow and return or use reusable alternatives. ◾ The level of charge to be no less than 25p as outlined in the EPECOM report in 2018; that the charge should be consistent across all suppliers; and, that the charge be at a level that is visible to the customer. This is necessary to drive shifts in habit. Additionally, we recommend that the charge level is monitored and reviewed regularly over time to assess its impact in levering behaviour change. ◾ We believe funds generated from the charge, and any non-compliance fines, must be used to support, as far as possible, the phasing out of single-use cups through the promotion of behaviour change, encouragement of reuse and the facilitation of recycling, where appropriate. We’d love to chat over our thoughts with you if that could help you make a response – just reach out to Barry Fisher, Paul Wallace, Heather McLaughlin, Georgina Massouraki, Alex Morrison or Suzanne Roberts. We believe this consultation provides a once in a lifetime opportunity to tackle single-use cup waste and litter. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e8zx6ng2

It’s #TrusteesWeek! The time of year when we celebrate the amazing contribution made by our charity trustees and recognise the difference they make. Thank you all (Tom Brock OBE, Osama Bhutta, Rachel Cowper, Susan Lindner-Kelly, Neil Urquhart, Renata Scofield, Kyle Usher, Bruce Robertson, Stuart Mckill, Graeme Dickson and Jane Cumming) for the time, commitment and effort you bring to keep Scotland beautiful. 👏👏 Learn more about our Trustees here: https://lnkd.in/egsDZtyK

Today we are proud to present our annual Scottish Litter Survey, a report tracking public perceptions and attitudes towards litter and littering behaviour. When it comes to litter, we have known for a long time that Scotland has a problem, and our fourth survey, produced in association with Diffley Partnership, shows that people across the country share that view. Over the past four years, an overwhelming majority of people in Scotland – around nine in ten – have consistently viewed litter as a problem across the country. Positively, that opinion is matched by a desire for change: 82% of people in Scotland agree that they want to see more efforts to prevent litter in their area. The Scottish Litter Survey is both a reminder of the issue we are facing and a call to action from people across the country. In the words of our Chief Executive Barry Fisher, let’s take positive actions, let’s pull together in the same direction and let’s ensure the litter emergency is an issue we deal with so future generations don’t have to. If you're as passionate about addressing our litter issue, reach out to us now and let's work together. Read the report now: https://lnkd.in/gU2vdnJ7

Yesterday we hosted representatives from 27 organisation and local authorities for this year’s Local Environmental Quality seminar. The seminar, held at the Westerwood Hotel in Cumbernauld on 31 October, was an opportunity for guests to hear how the passing of the Circular Economy Bill and confirmed Year 2 actions of the National Litter and Flytipping Strategy can support our collective ambitions to improve local environmental quality. Chaired by our Head of Operations Paul Wallace, the seminar featured presentations by Scott Edgar from Diffley Partnership and Anne Dagg from The Scottish Government. Scott opened the seminar by outlining the key findings from the Scottish Litter Survey 2024 which gauged public perceptions on the litter issue. Anne provided an update on progress with the National Litter and Flytipping Strategy, including an update on Year 1, the Year 2 Action Plan and the implications of the new Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024 for action on litter and flytipping. Brian Rae, our Operations Manager, Environment and Place Services, then shared the latest opportunities in utilising data on Local Environmental Quality to support key decision making in tackling issues. Attendees also had the opportunity to attend four of eight workshops, hosted by our own team, community groups, North Ayrshire, Dundee City and West Lothian Councils and our partners Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Zero Waste Scotland. Our Head of Operations Paul Wallace said: “As we prepare to share this year’s Scottish Litter Survey it was fantastic to see our own positivity and hope for change is shared by our partners, local councils and other organisations. “There is such a strong desire from people across Scotland to address the litter emergency so its crucial we all do our part to capitalise on this enthusiasm and support the drive for change. “We remain as determined as always to play our part in tackling the litter emergency. If anyone wants to get involved and learn more about working together, please get in touch.” Thanks to #TeamKSB's Heather McLaughlin, Jamie Ormiston, Juliette Camburn, Carrie Marling, Alexander Stevenson, Ruairidh MacLeod, Alastair Alford and Barry Fisher for their support.

Start your net zero journey now by joining our Carbon Literacy Training, developed in partnership with SAC Consulting. More details below ⬇️

As Juliette said, more Scottish ambassadors needed for this project. More details in the post below 👇

Our bespoke Carbon Literacy training for Scotland's rural industries provides your business with a recognised qualification and a foundation of knowledge to level the playing field towards the Just Transition to net zero. The one-day course costs just £200 per person. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eM384EsE The Carbon Literacy Project SRUC

It's fantastic to see that single-use vapes will be banned in England and Wales in June next year, following the Scottish ban coming into force on 1 April 2025. Unpublished data from The Diffley Partnership has found that 55% of those surveyed in Scotland report that sightings of single-use vapes have become common in the past 12 months. In 2023 we reported that 44% of people reported seeing single-use vapes as litter often – the fastest growing observation of all types of litter. While we welcome the news of this upcoming ban of these unnecessary contributors to our litter emergency, there are still months to go and we encourage everyone using these products to bin them responsibly. Laura Young ASH Scotland Marine Conservation Society https://lnkd.in/eMXGT-Wc

We had a brilliant day in Manchester yesterday to celebrate our wonderful Climate and Nature Friendly Communities Network groups at The Royal Horticultural Society Britain in Bloom UK finals 🤩 Congratulations to all our worthy winners! 👏 Read more: https://ow.ly/izev50TQTPn

There is still time to apply for this exciting opportunity for an #artificial #intelligence engineer to work on a new Knowledge Transfer Partnership between the University of Stirling and Keep Scotland Beautiful. The project will develop an automated method for mapping litter at scale using mobile cameras and #AI. If you have a Ph.D. (or M.Sc. with appropriate experience) in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, apply today! 🔗 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/e4wwq8dM 📆 Closing date: 24/10/2024