The Scottish Government have been criticised by Brian Whittle MSP for continuing delays and a lack of information about their planned deposit return scheme for drinks containers.
The scheme would place a levy of 20p on all glass, metal and plastic drinks containers at the point of sale, which could then be recovered by returning the empty containers to a “reverse vending machine”. The Scottish Government had stated the scheme would start in July 2022 but Green Minister Lorna Slater has now indicated that the timing is likely to slip.
Scottish Conservative Environment spokesman Brian Whittle criticised the latest delay to the scheme which has come in for criticism from opposition politicians and businesses for a lack of detail about how it will work.
Brian said the announcement was the latest example of the SNP-Green coalition trying to avoid delivering on big promises because they couldn’t deliver. He went on to urge the Scottish Government to stop trying to race against the UK Government to deliver a separate Scotland-only scheme and instead work to create one that worked effectively across the whole UK.
Brian Whittle MSP said “Time and again since joining up with the SNP, the Scottish Greens have watered down pledges they made in opposition about what they wanted to do. Their demand for an end to new waste incinerators in Scotland has become support for a review that has yet to even agree a scope.
And now the same MSP who tweeted before the election that a deposit return scheme could be delivered immediately, is blaming more or less everything but the Government she’s now a part of, as she announces yet more delays.
This is just another example of the Scottish Government insisting on a unique, Scotland-only solution to a problem, only to find that delivering it is far more complicated and expensive than they thought. The SNP must be delighted they’ve got the Greens to give them cover for their latest failures.
Done right, a deposit return scheme can help boost recycling rates and protect resources without costing consumers and businesses. That’s why I’m urging the Scottish Government to work with, not against, the UK Government and deliver a scheme that works for everyone.”
