Ministers have been urged to work with council chiefs in order to introduce standardised bin collections across Scotland.
Edward Mountain, convener of Holyrood’s Net Zero Committee, made the plea as Holyrood debated the the Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill.
The legislation, introduced by the Scottish Government, could see people given fixed penalty notices if they put the wrong items in their bins.
Speaking as Holyrood debated the legislation, Mr Mountain said MSPs on the committee were “convinced by the arguments for a standardised approach to bin collections across Scotland’s local authorities”.
Not all councils collect the same items for recycling, but Mr Mountain said the Scottish Government should consider a standardised system and “explore this in detail” with the local government body Cosla.
He added: “It should not be too much to ask to have the same system of coloured bins across Scotland – it could certainly help reduce confusion and increase compliance.”
And while he said issuing fixed penalty notices for putting the wrong items in bins could help stop recyclable goods from being “contaminated”, he added that these powers “must be used carefully by local authorities and only after careful engagement with householders”.
With the Bill also containing provisions to make car and van drivers liable to pay a financial penalty for littering from their vehicle, Tory MSP Maurice Golden said the legislation was more focused on waste and litter than on creating a genuinely circular economy.
The Conservative said: “Unfortunately this Circular Economy Bill as drafted won’t deliver the change we need.
“In fact it feels like a reaction to missing the 2013 household recycling target than a serious attempt to deliver a circular economy.
“Factor in the proposals on littering and flytipping, and what the Scottish Government have presented isn’t so much a Circular Economy Bill than a waste and litter bill.”
Labour’s Sarah Boyack also insisted: “There’s a lot of work that still needs to be done to ensure that this Bill really is a circular economy bill and not just a recycling Bill.”
Ms Boyack said: “At the moment the focus is recycling. We need to have more about redesigning opportunities so we can see reuse, repair opportunities in our communities.
“The principle of building a circular economy has got to be what we deliver in this Bill, with sectoral approaches and action from day one, whether its reducing our reliance on single use products or ending food waste.”
Circular economy minister Lorna Slater however insisted there were “positive changes” the Bill could bring about.
She said the Bill would see a circular economy strategy published, along with targets, as well as measures to tackle fly-tipping and littering and “ensuring individual householders and businesses get rid of waste in the right way”.
Meanwhile a consultation on charging for single use, disposable cups will be published “in the coming weeks”, she said.
The minister told MSPs: “How we view and treat our resources here in Scotland is fundamental to tackling climate change and biodiversity loss.
“We must deliver a fundamental shift across society to reduce the demand for raw materials, encourage reuse, repairs and recycling.
“The Circular Economy Bill will help this happen here in Scotland.
“The new powers in the Bill will give ministers and local authorities the tools they need to help drive this transition.”