Scottish Grocers Federation has called for the Scottish government to set up a new £50m investment fund to enable convenience retailers to meet the cost of a Scottish Deposit Return System (DRS).
The proposal forms a key part of SGF’s submission to the Scottish government consultation on DRS, which will ultimately set the parameters for the system in Scotland. Based on the system in Norway, which provides a useful benchmark for Scotland in terms of population and geography, it is likely that Scotland will require 3,700 automated collection points. The new ‘Circular Economy Fund’ would enable retailers to meet the capital expenditure required to install a Reverse Vending Machine – the most efficient way of taking back containers.
SGF Head of Public Affairs Dr John Lee said: “The Sottish government has stated that DRS should be developed in a way that addresses the specific needs of small retailers – to deliver on this the government needs to establish this fund to guarantee that the system is established on a full cost recovery basis and that small retailers are not left at a competitive disadvantage with the big supermarkets. We need this policy to succeed and small retailers must be given the resources to participate in it.”
SGF has also strongly argued that body which runs the system must be controlled by industry, without interference by the Scottish government or its agencies and should be comprised of both manufacturers and retailers. SGF is also developing a series of in-store trials of Reverse Vending Machines with its retail members and the main RVM manufacturers, the first of their kind in convenience stores in Scotland.
The Scottish government will undertake an analysis of all submissions received and publish its final proposals towards the end of 2018.
