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Scottish doggy bag scheme doubles in size

The number of hospitality businesses taking part in Scotland’s doggy bag scheme has more than doubled in the past year.

Over 40,000 Good to Go boxes went into circulation in the last 12 months, according to Zero Waste Scotland which runs the scheme. The compostable boxes are offered to customers at the end of their meal to take any leftovers home.

Zero Waste Scotland estimates that currently one in every six meals served by restaurants is thrown away, costing the Scottish hospitality industry £64m annually.

The scheme is aimed at changing attitudes towards leftovers with research showing that two fifths of Scots are currently too embarrassed to ask for a doggy bag, but three quarters said they would welcome the option of taking a doggy bag home.

“Good to Go has demonstrated the tremendous appetite for doggy bags – not just from consumers but from restaurants who have found, through our hugely successful trials, that it enhances their customer service and helps them monitor and deal with food waste,” said Iain Gulland, chief executive of Zero Waste Scotland.