The UK Government spokesperson told letsrecycle.com that the request was received by the Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 6 March. The group brings together environment ministers from across the UK.
According to the spokesperson, the letter set out the scope and rationale for an exemption under the UK Internal Market Act for the Scottish Government’s deposit return scheme (DRS). They outlined that “it will now be carefully and fully considered by Ministers at the relevant Whitehall departments.”
Should the UK Government deny the request for an exemption this would mean that the DRS rules would only apply to drinks bottled in Scotland, putting Scottish producers at a disadvantage.
There have been indications that the UK government might not look kindly on the request for an exemption (see letsrecycle.com story). The environment minister in the House of Lords, Lord Benyon, recently said on the DRS that the Scottish Government “have sought to appear more virtuous and to rush this, and they have failed the Scottish people and Scottish businesses. The scheme will result in huge costs and even the risk of booze cruises, so that people can go south of the border to get drink at 50% less cost. This is entirely ridiculous. We want to work with the people of Scotland to make sure we align on this.”
Controversy
Scotland’s scheme is set to launch in August, more than two years ahead of the same legislation rolling out in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. The system has been a subject of controversy, with some fearing the financial impact it might have on businesses as well as consumers.
Last month, the Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon has rejected calls from one of her own MPS to pause the rollout of the scheme. However, the future of the Scottish DRS still seemed uncertain in the face of claims by candidates to replace Sturgeon, who all pledged to delaying its start date if elected.
‘On course’
However, in a bid to disprove concerns stemming from the uncertainty, the scheme’s administrator Circularity Scotland has reiterated that the scheme is “on course” to be launched in August. It reasoned that producers responsible for more than 95% of the containers sold in the country have now registered.
This has been further echoed by Ms Sturgeon herself in a letter to the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, expressing her concerns about press coverage which “gives the impression that the Scottish government has not yet requested an exclusion for DRS from the Internal Market Act’s market access provisions, and that the UK Government is not minded to agree such an exclusion”.
“As the process has now been in train for a considerable time, I hope that momentum can be maintained and I would be grateful for your support to give businesses the clarity they need,” Ms Sturgeon concluded (see letsrecycle.com story).
Subscribe for free