{"id":1090688,"date":"2026-07-15T12:10:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T12:10:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1090688\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T12:10:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T12:10:17","slug":"sic-to-lobby-scottish-government-over-proposed-flexible-plastic-recycling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1090688\/","title":{"rendered":"SIC to lobby Scottish Government over proposed flexible plastic recycling"},"content":{"rendered":"

SHETLAND Islands Council (SIC) will make the case to the Scottish Government that it is the \u201cwrong decision\u201d for Shetland to start recycling flexible plastics.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Scottish Government wants all Scottish local authorities to begin collecting flexible plastics, which can include clingfilm, crisp packets and sweetie wrappers, from homes over the coming years.<\/p>\n

Currently these are dropped at collection points across Scotland, with the Tesco supermarket in Lerwick having a drop-off point.<\/p>\n

An example of some flexible plastics which can be recycled. Photo: Nestle<\/p>\n

However there has been push back from the SIC against the plans<\/a>, with fears that it could be costly and counter-productive environmentally.<\/p>\n

SIC waste operations manager Brydon Gray said last week that flexible plastics \u201ccost an absolute fortune to collect\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Scottish Government is pushing us towards collecting this material, but the cost is excessive,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

SIC chief executive Maggie Sandison said they would be making the case to central government that the scheme was not a good fit for the isles.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust saying the whole of Scotland should be collecting flexible plastics doesn\u2019t necessarily mean it\u2019s the right thing for Shetland,\u201d she told Shetland News.<\/p>\n

As well as the extra cost of collecting flexible plastics, these would then have to be shipped south too, which would make the whole process carbon negative.<\/p>\n

There have also been some concerns about the impact on Lerwick\u2019s energy recovery plant if more material was being recycled.<\/p>\n

SIC chief executive Maggie Sandison. Photo: Shetland News<\/p>\n

Sandison said they could use island impact assessments to show the Scottish Government that recycling flexible plastics could be harmful locally.<\/p>\n

However, she said the problem with a lot of national decisions were that they were \u201cactually EU directive decisions\u201d being pushed on to central governments.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSo we might not have the same ability to put the same impact assessments across the top of it,\u201d Sandison explained.<\/p>\n

She said they would be having conversations with regulators about what could be done.<\/p>\n

Asked if the SIC would instead then have to focus on talks with regulatory bodies rather than with the Scottish Government about flexible plastics, Sandison replied: \u201cWe\u2019ll need to do both.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we need to make sure the Scottish Government agrees with the position we\u2019re taking,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The SIC chief explained that every bit of the council\u2019s waste service operated on licences, and said the conditions of these had to be complied with.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo if we\u2019re told to stop burning flexible plastics, we have to comply with that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be the change to the licensing requirement that would almost drive the activity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lerwick community councillor Duncan Swainston said last Monday that the scheme \u201cdoesn\u2019t seem to work for Shetland\u201d.<\/p>\n

Waste operations manager Gray responded that the SIC had been \u201carguing for months that it doesn\u2019t really work\u201d up here, and added that they were \u201ccertainly not lying down\u201d to the government\u2019s demands.<\/p>\n

Other items that can be recycled as soft plastics include bread bags, plastic cereal bags and pet food pouches.<\/p>\n

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