SLR catches up with David Harris, Chief Executive of Circularity Scotland, the body that will administer the country’s deposit return scheme (DRS).
What attracted you to the role?
I’ve worked across the plastics recycling and packaging industries for over 25 years, so to say that the circular economy is something I’m interested in is an understatement. Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme will be one of the most significant environmental infrastructure projects ever introduced in the UK, and the most comprehensive scheme of its kind anywhere in the world. Having the opportunity to play a key role in its success was something I could never pass up.
What does the role involve?
With a project as significant and multi-faceted as the DRS, and in an organisation that is essentially a start-up and growing in size and scale every day, my role is making sure the sum of all Circularity Scotland’s parts is working together to achieve the same shared goal. We also have an unrivalled bank of specialist skills and in-depth experience within CSL’s Executive Team, so as CEO I make sure this is drawn upon regularly to help shape and inform everything we do.
How does it feel to be working on such a huge project?
It’s a privilege. Like all projects of this scale, the challenges are not insignificant, but the results will be worth it. I think I speak for everyone at CSL when I say that it’s a wonderful feeling to be involved in something that will have such a significant impact on Scotland’s environment – it goes beyond being just a job.
How are things going?
We are working at pace to ensure that the scheme runs effectively and cost-efficiently as possible from August 2023. Circularity Scotland was set up by industry to act as a scheme administrator only last year, and in that short time we’ve achieved a number of major milestones. We’ve secured £18m in commercial loans to support the set-up phase of the scheme, appointed Biffa as the official logistics partner and built a strong Executive Team that has unparalleled experience in developing and implementing complex and large-scale projects. Suffice to say, we now have in place many of the resources we need to ensure that the scheme is a success and there is a clear roadmap until the scheme goes live and beyond.
What’s the biggest challenge you face?
There are many challenges associated with a project of not just this size, but also its scale – every business that produces or sells drinks in a plastic, glass or aluminium container will have obligations as part of the DRS. Now, the most important challenge we are facing is ensuring all these businesses know their obligations, big or small. Official registration for producers opens on 1 December, with registration for retailers to follow early next year.
We know that there are a lot of questions – particularly for how this will affect local retailers – so we’re encouraging all businesses to sign up for updates on our website, which takes just a couple of minutes and will keep them informed and help them plan for the scheme going live. Our website also has an extensive list of FAQs that will give them all the information they need.
What’s next for Circularity Scotland?
Our focus now is fixed firmly on creating a DRS scheme in Scotland that will run as efficiently and cost effectively as possible, and helping businesses navigate their way through registration and understanding what steps they have to take. But it’s not just businesses that will have a role to play. Once registration has closed in March, we will be turning our attention to helping consumers in Scotland understand what DRS will mean for them when it is implemented next August.
