Minister says DRS scheme has been 'sabotaged' by the UK Government
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The deposit return scheme in Scotland is to be delayed until October 2025 at the earliest following a decision made by the Scottish Parliament.
In a Holyrood statement, Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater said that she had been left with no choice after the UK Government excluded glass from the Scottish scheme.
The delay means that the Scottish scheme is likely to launch at the same time as similar proposals for other parts of the UK.
Ms Slater said: "We took in good faith a DRS scheme which would include glass.
"The Scottish Parliament voted for this as it was the latest in a long list of ways in which we have voted on progressive moves.
"Last week I told Parliament of eleventh hours additions of conditions which included the removal of glass.
"It did so by refusing to remove an exclusion from the internal market act after almost two years of discussion.
"The UK government has included no justification for this.
"The case for including glass is clear - it accounts for more than a quarter of all containers in the planned scheme.
"We proceeded in good faith to include glass and why businesses have invested heavily for this.
"An even bigger act of sabotage comes from a maximum level of caps - one barcode, one logo - all legitimate areas of discussion, but the UK government cannot tell us when or who will be doing it.
From day one we have said we need alignment - but Scotland and Wales have proceeded on plan - England has chosen to derail this.
"Rules that we set can be changed at anytime by the UK Government - the UK GVT has not done the work and cannot give the assurances businesses need.
"The overwhelming feedback from producers, retailers and hospitality is that they cannot prepare for a March launch based on the changes being required by the UK government without any certainty even about what those changes would be".
Responding to the statement Ewan MacDonald-Russell, Deputy Head of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said:“The Scottish Retail Industry is proud of its commitment to the environment and sustainability, including working towards our 2040 Net Zero target and working across the supply chain to move towards a circular economy.
"Within that framework Scotland’s retailers have very significantly invested in good faith to deliver a deposit return scheme.
"That includes years of engagement with government, development of systems and store refits, and a financial commitment which already runs into the tens of millions.
“Today’s announcement has serious implications for that investment, which has been committed at a time where retailers have devoted every other effort to grappling with the cost-of-living crisis.
"Retailers will need to take time to fully understand the implications of today’s decisions and consider what the most appropriate next steps are.
"In the short-term retailers are likely to pause any further investment until we have a clear operational plan and a final credible critical path to delivering the scheme.
“Lessons must be learned from this sorry DRS saga.
"In the longer term this announcement provides an opportunity for the four home nations of the UK to come together to develop a comprehensive delivery plan, focused on consumers, based on delivering a coherent, comprehensive, clear, and cost-effective deposit return scheme which can increase recycling and move to a more circular economy.
"Hitherto the scheme has been bedevilled by a rush to unachievable dates and a failure to take on board businesses reasonable and practical suggestions; there is an urgent need to move beyond that and deliver this as a project without the politics."
