South Scotland MSP Brian Whittle has joined colleagues from across Scotland in urging the Scottish Government to pause the planned launch of its Deposit Return Scheme, amid growing concerns from drinks producers and retailers about its impact.
The Deposit Return Scheme, due to launch in August is set to put an additional charge of at least 20p per container on the price of most metal, plastic and glass drinks containers in Scotland. Consumers will be able to recover this additional deposit, either as cash or in-store vouchers, with retailers required to collect and store the containers until collected by Biffa, a waste firm with the contract to recycle them. While many deposit return schemes operate around the world, the SNP-Green Government scheme is the first to introduce one where there is an existing kerbside recycling scheme. This has led to concerns about the likelihood of reduced household recycling collections by councils if consumers are forced to take their containers back to DRS return points instead. Falkirk Council has already announced it will stop collecting glass altogether and many other councils are reportedly considering the implications for their own recycling schemes.
The Scottish Government chose to hand over responsibility for administering the scheme to a private company created for the purpose, Circularity Scotland. That decision has come in for criticism from MSPs who have accused the Scottish Government of using Circularity Scotland as a way to avoid parliamentary scrutiny of the scheme and use of Freedom of Information.
Many retailers and drinks producers have expressed concern that they’re being forced to sign up to the scheme without being given full details of how it will work, and potentially making them liable for tens of thousands of pounds of extra costs.
The Scottish Conservatives have argued that many of the potential problems could be resolved if the Scottish Government opted to work with the UK Government to deliver a common UK-wide Deposit Return Scheme, but the SNP-Green coalition have flatly rejected this suggestion. The Scottish Government also rejected proposals for a so-called “digital deposit return” which would have allowed consumers to keep using their existing recycling bins and simply scanning a barcode on each container when they recycled it.
Now Brian is pushing for the plans to be halted and reviewed to make sure that the final scheme works properly. He’s also urging businesses with concerns about the scheme to get in touch and tell him their views.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“A properly designed and implemented deposit return scheme could help to boost recycling rates, especially in cities where kerbside recycling is less commonplace, but the Scottish Government’s current scheme risks doing more harm than good.
Not a day goes by that I don’t hear from another retailer or drinks producer who can’t get answers to basic questions from Circularity Scotland. Many small and medium sized drinks producers based elsewhere are even considering reducing their product range or even withdrawing from Scotland altogether. I’m keen for any producers or retailers with worries about the scheme to get in touch with me so I’ve got as clear a picture as possible.
From the outset, the Scottish Government have been more interested in being first than they have in getting this right. The scheme they’ve built looks set to harm businesses, frustrate consumers and perhaps even reduce our recycling rates and the decision by Lorna Slater and the Scottish Government to push ahead regardless is driven by nothing more than ego.
The Scottish Government need to pause the launch of this scheme and have a proper, independent review of how best to improve recycling rates. If they choose not to, they will only have themselves to blame for any damage done by the Deposit Return Scheme in its current form.”
