Eco vow by Lib Dems as they attack ‘stooge’ Greens

A PLEDGE to scrap single-use plastic will today be unveiled by the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

The party’s manifesto for the Holyrood election will also include plans to create tens of thousands of green jobs.

A key plank of the proposals is to end the mainstream use of single-use plastic by introducing an effective deposit return scheme, as well as a ‘coffee cup levy’.

The manifesto includes regulations to implement by July the single-use plastics directive, an EU-wide ban on plastic cotton buds, straws, plates, cutlery, stirrers, balloon sticks and expanded polystyrene food and drink containers. It will also pledge legally binding targets for cutting plastic waste and pollution at Westminster, and also provide recommendations to the Scottish Government.

Further measures would introduce a ‘right to repair’ for electrical goods, aimed at extending their lifespan, boosting the collection of textiles and introducing a Circular Economy Law to write targets into law.

An estimated 300million plastic straws, 276million pieces of plastic cutlery, 50million plastic plates and 66million polystyrene food containers are used every year north of the Border.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said: ‘We need to put recovery first, and backing a circular economy will tackle the climate emergency, cut pollution and bring new job opportunities to Scotland.

‘There are literally hundreds of millions of opportunities to reduce plastic waste in Scotland, and the next government should lead the way on this.

‘There is an exciting opportunity here to give customers more rights to have their goods repaired, and by recycling more waste and repurposing products we can create more green jobs for people – what is not to love? Daily Mail readers have played a big role in making politicians look hard at these issues through the Banish the Bottle and Turn the Tide on Plastic campaigns. Now it’s time to turn that impetus into action.

‘Sadly, the SNP have spent their time in government pushing for another divisive referendum.’

The party has set its sights on persuading voters who previously backed the Greens that they are ‘SNP stooges’ who care about independence more than the environment.

It believes it can win those supporters to help prevent a nationalist majority.