Most Scots will remember taking empty glass bottles of Irn-Bru back to get a refund on the deposit.
In a few years, a similar scheme will apply to almost every drinks bottle sold in Scotland.
The major policy is going to have a big impact on shopping and recycling. Adding a 20p deposit to each bottle doesn’t sound like much. You get the money back, after all. But stick 20p on each bottle in a 24-pack and it starts to add up.
This is bound to be a huge incentive to get people recycling when they might not always bother. There will be some unintended consequences. Party hosts might suddenly be pretty pleased to find a mountain of empties in their kitchen at the end of a big night. Call it the host tax.
And Scotland’s roadside verges will suddenly be dotted with pocket money instead of discarded litter. Kerbside recycling will also change as bottles and cans get carted back to shops or to new “reverse vending machines” for a refund.
There are more than a few fine details to get right before the scheme goes live.
Pubs and small shops will have to find storage. People on low incomes without a car might resent the additional burden if return points aren’t made accessible in all communities. But schemes like this have been a long time coming.
There is no doubt society needs to make radical changes to clean up our environment and turn around a throwaway culture.
Rail them in
Scotland already had an overpriced, unreliable, not-fit-for-purpose rail service that sucked up millions in public subsidies every year.
Yet, in the four years since Abellio took over our trains, we have witnessed truly astounding levels of incompetence, inconvenience and delays.
Now, new research by Which? has found the operator also has one of the most complicated systems in the UK for claiming compensation when things inevitably go wrong. In some cases, passengers are being asked to submit up to 24 separate pieces of information just to get the money they are entitled to.
We should give ScotRail 24 hours to give up the franchise...
Heartwarming
Little Adeline Davidson owes her life to more than 100 strangers.
The brave two-year-old needs a blood transfusion every week just to stay alive after contracting an rare blood cancer.
The tot is waiting for a blood marrow transplant that could cure the condition and a search for a suitable donor is on.
But Adeline’s story has already shown once again the courage of kids and the generosity of strangers.
