The UK government has granted Scotland a temporary exemption from the Internal Market Act to enable the deposit return scheme to go ahead, but it only covers PET plastic, aluminium, and steel.
Glass bottles were a key part of Scottish government proposals for DRS, which are due to go start in March 2024, but UK ministers excluded glass from English and Northern Irish schemes shortly before granting Scotland’s exemption to internal market rules.
In a letter to First Minister Humza Yousaf, the UK government said including glass “would have created a potentially permanent divergence from the schemes planned for England and Northern Ireland”.
First Minister Humza Yousaf has accused the UK government of trying to “sabotage” the DRS in Scotland, as businesses had already signed up to and spent money on a scheme including glass.
He said he would have to hold urgent talks with businesses and examine the viability of the Scottish scheme.
In response, ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “The announcement of the exclusion of glass from DRS in Scotland is welcome news for many local shops that were concerned about asking their store colleagues to handle and store glass that could be broken or soiled.”
The NFRN’s National Deputy Vice-President Mo Razzaq said: “If glass is ultimately exempt from the Scottish scheme, it is vitally important that an alternative measure is introduced to ensure litter decreases and more bottles are reused. There is clearly headroom for improvement in Scotland’s current level of success in reaching targets to curb waste of the earth’s resources.
“If, in the end, the Scottish scheme omits glass, it is important that independent retailers who took out leasing contracts for complex machines to handle returned containers including glass, are compensated for their losses.”
Scottish Wholesale Association said: “While the UK Government’s late timing of this announcement is disrespectful to all the businesses which have been waiting for this confirmation, it’s now critical that the Scottish and UK governments work together, and with those affected businesses, at pace to ensure that the Scottish scheme can go live smoothly next spring and the UK-wide schemes can work as seamlessly as possible in future.
“We know there has been considerable effort and investment put into plans for glass to be included. It cannot be beyond the wit of both governments to find ways in which that infrastructure and investment might be channelled to assist glass recovery outwith the DRS.”
