Up to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic waste enters the ocean every year, killing marine life, threatening ecosystems and contaminating seafood. Every day in the UK 35 million plastic bottles are used and discarded.

Deposit return schemes work by charging a little bit extra when you buy a bottled drink, then refunding it when the bottle is returned. The more bottles that are returned, the more can be re-used or recycled, reducing the amount that end up as litter, in our oceans and in landfill. Scotland was ahead of the curve on the plastic bag charge - now there’s a chance to lead the way on tackling plastic bottle pollution and set an example to the rest of the UK.

Sign the petition to Roseanna Cunningham, Cabinet Secretary for Environment here