Organisations join forces to call for producers to pay for littered packaging

More than 70% of people in Scotland agree producers should bear financial responsibility for managing packaging waste as litter which is why leading environmental organisations have today 4 March 2026 written to the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, Gillian Martin MSP urging the Scottish Government to reaffirm its commitment to ensuring a bold reform opportunity to support Scotland to tackle its litter emergency is not missed. 

Our call was supported by a broad coalition of charities, community groups and campaigners, including Circular Communities Scotland, Irvine Clean Up Crew, Marine Conservation Society, Paws on Plastic, Surfers Against Sewage and West Lothian Litter Pickers showing widespread support for initial proposals included in Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) regulations that outlined the intent for producers to be obligated for the cost of collection and disposal of packaging items littered on the ground and disposed of in public bins.

These proposals have yet to be progressed across the UK, but the Welsh Government have opened a consultation keeping the hopes alive that packaging producers could soon be held accountable for their packaging which becomes litter and pollutes our environment.

Our research[1] revealed the scale of packaging found as litter, including:

• 77% of people in Scotland report food containers, wrappers and packaging at the top the of the list of litter items being seen. 

• 42.7% of sites audited across the country recorded at least one item that would be in scope for Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) regulations 

Barry Fisher, our CEO said: “Our data clearly outlines why packaging producers should be held accountable for litter. The polluter pays principle is widely supported by the public, and pEPR works well in other countries where litter is included in the regulations scope.

“We can’t tackle litter in Scotland when more and more packaging is being put on the market and less and less money is invested in litter campaigns and education, waste management infrastructure and enforcement. 

“With a Deposit Return Scheme not coming on line until 2027, and a cup charge for single-use beverage containers on the back burner, we need to look urgently at other policy mechanisms to help generate funds to cover the costs of managing and cleaning up the waste and litter produced by packaging, and ultimately to encourage producers to design out problematic litter items.

“We know if we want to reduce litter all sectors and individuals must step up.  We call on government, industry and individuals to do more - including the 50% who admit to still littering[2].”

The coalition has made it clear that Scotland needs urgent regulation to address packaging litter which is highly visible and unsightly, can harm our wildlife, is costly to clean up and is polluting our environment.     Extended Producer Responsibility regulations could push producers to create packaging less harmful to our environment and generate significant funds to help address the littering behaviours.

Laura Anderson (Young), Campaigner, Environmental Scientist, and Ethical Influencer and one of our Ambassadors said: “Scotland’s litter problem is visible in every community, and too often the cost of clearing it up falls on councils, charities and volunteers rather than the companies that produce the packaging in the first place. Extending packaging Extended Producer Responsibility to cover littered items and waste in public bins is a practical application of the polluter-pays principle, ensuring responsibility sits where it belongs.

“There is strong public backing for producers to play their part, and this reform represents a rare opportunity to both reduce waste and encourage smarter packaging design in the first place. By reaffirming its commitment and working with partners and scheme administrator Pack UK, Scotland can show leadership in tackling litter while supporting climate and nature goals.

“Communities and volunteers are already doing enormous work to improve local environments, now policy needs to match that effort by ensuring the true costs of single-use packaging are recognised and reduced.”

Now is the time, ahead of the Scottish Parliamentary Elections for the current Scottish Government to show strong leadership, reaffirm support for this measure and seize the game changing opportunity that litter payments as part of pEPR, offer to support action to tackle the climate, nature and litter emergencies.

Read the letter and quotes of support in the links.

[1] Tackling the litter emergency – making the case for packaging EPR to include ground and binned litter, Keep Scotland Beautiful, June 2024.

[2] Keep Britain Tidy 2026. More than 26.8 million UK adults – nearly half – admit to littering | Keep Britain Tidy