‘A huge plastic hole’ Ministers slammed over waste plan’s gap

Environmental campaigners are concerned that by Christmas 2026 households in Scotland will have seen no reduction in the excessive plastic they are forced to deal with after a crucial waste plan was found to have a “huge plastic hole”. 

Campaigners said that the festive season is a “plastic peak” as it brings a lot of unwanted waste in the form of excess food packaging, wrappers and gifts, much of them made of plastic. For most people, it is almost impossible to avoid single-use plastics altogether and much of the waste is not even recyclable. 

Despite the problems of plastic, environmentalists highlighted how the Scottish Government’s draft Circular Economy Strategy, which is supposed to improve the use of resources and materials, fails to mention plastic anywhere in the 50-page document. 

99% of plastics are made from fossil fuels and take hundreds of years to degrade, ending up as microplastics. Microplastics have been found in food, drinking water and even our bodies. Scientists have linked them to cancer, immune system damage, reproductive problems, and developmental delays. Between 2016 and 2024, the quantity of microplastics found in brain samples doubled.

Coastal communities in Scotland are also feeling the impacts of plastic pollution in the form of tiny plastic pellets known as ‘nurdles’ which have been released into the environment from around the Grangemouth plastic production site for decades.

Campaigners are calling for the Circular Economy Strategy to incorporate policies on managing plastic in Scotland, in order to protect people from the damaging health, climate and pollution impacts of the material. This includes investing in reuse and repair services, making companies pay for the clean-up of the plastic products they sell and supporting councils to enforce single-use plastic bans properly.

Kim Pratt, senior circular economy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland said:

“This is peak season for our homes being swamped in excessive plastic and things don’t look like changing any time soon. There is a huge plastic hole in the Scottish Government’s plans to cut waste and reduce use of natural resources. 

“The best solution to the plastics crisis is to reduce how much plastic is made and used. Instead of loading individuals with the responsibility for tackling this mess, big businesses must be made to pay for the clean-up of their harmful products. 

“Political failure to address plastics means people in Scotland will suffer from the health impacts of microplastic pollution. Plastics are made from fossil fuels so are worsening climate breakdown too. The plastics sector is responsible for a tidal wave of nurdle pollution around the Firth of Forth so it is grossly negligent for Ministers to ignore it.” 

QUICK FACTS ABOUT PLASTIC:

• 99% of plastic is made from fossil fuels, actively fueling climate breakdown.
• Microplastics are created when plastic items, from bottles and food packaging to tyres and clothing break down. They have been found everywhere that scientists have looked for them, from Mount Everest to arctic sea ice and even our lungs, blood and placentas.
• Microplastics and associated chemicals have been linked to cancer, immune system damage, reproductive problems and developmental delays.
• Plastic production is expected to triple by 2060.
• There is global recognition that more needs to be done to tackle the plastics crisis, but international negotiations have stalled. Many nations are creating national policies to protect their citizens.
• Nearly 100,000 marine mammals are killed by plastic every year.

In Scotland, 9 out of 10 adults are concerned about plastics. Earlier this year, a petition to the Scottish Parliament started by teenager Tabby Fletcher on the Isle of Jura amassed over 32,000 signatures, calling for a ban on all non-essential single-use plastics, but was not taken forward by parliament. 

In August 2025, 18 civil society groups wrote to the First Minister, in a letter timed to coincide with international negotiations on the Global Plastics Treaty, outlining the damage created by plastic and calling for the Scottish Government to act now to prevent further harm. The letter detailed actions that can be taken by the Scottish Government to reduce the harm of plastic in Scotland. 

The Scottish Government’s circular economy strategy is open for consultation until the 13^th of January.