The Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee will conclude its work this Parliament in March 2026 ahead of the next Scottish Parliament election. So the Committee has time to complete its work, it has agreed not to consider petitions submitted after 10 October.
The Committee will continue to meet but given the volume of petitions and agreed work programme it is unlikely that the Committee would be able to meaningfully progress work on petitions submitted after 10 October ahead of the election. Petitions lodged after this date will not fall when the Parliament is dissolved and will be for the successor committee to consider in the new session.
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Closed petition PE2117: Ban the use of toxic chemicals along our coasts
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to ban the use of any chemical labelled "very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects" or carrying the "Dead Fish" pictogram graphic, on coastal jetties or slipways.
Background information
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency currently licenses these chemicals to kill seaweed on jetties and slipways. In 2022 I discovered Edinburgh council was using a product labelled as "very toxic to aquatic life with lasting effects" to kill seaweed in South Queensferry. The council argued that the practice is required to reduce the slip risk for cruise ship passengers, a lucrative revenue source.
The product is banned by the Royal Yachting Association. When I notified the council thanked me and promised to replace the chemical with a safe alternative.
This year I discovered that the replacement, sodium hypochlorite, has very similar labelling and both carry the "Dead Fish" pictogram graphic.
Sodium hypochlorite is also labelled:
"causes severe skin burns and eye damage"
"may be corrosive to metals"
"contact with acids liberates toxic gas"
A ban is required because SEPA should not be licensing toxic products.
N.B. the Committee should therefore not take advice from SEPA on this matter.
This petition was considered by the Scottish Parliament
38 signatures