THE Scottish Government has amended planning legislation to make it easier for retailers to install reverse vending machines (RVM).
RVMs are likely to become a feature across many retail businesses when deposit return goes live in on 1 July 2022 – although it was not clear how they would fit into the planning system.
The new amendment cuts the planning red tape that retailers will need to go through to install, alter or replace an RVM on the all of a shop, or the land immediately surrounding it.
The relaxed rules apply provided the machine is more than five metres from the road and 15 metres from residential buildings, is no taller than 3.5 metres, and has a footprint of 80 square metres or less.
