Over the weekend, the UK Government said it would grant Scotland’s request for an exemption under the Internal Markets Act providing it met a number of criteria, including the exclusion of glass.
This led to an angry response from the Scottish government (see letsrecycle.com story), with responses continuing to come in since.
The Federation of Independent Retailers’ national deputy vice president Mo Razzaq said the organisation “welcomes the proposal of a joined-up scheme for the UK”, as this is undoubtedly more practical for businesses and consumers alike”.
However, he warned that if glass is exempted from the Scottish scheme, “it is vitally important that an alternative measure is introduced to ensure litter decreases and more bottles are reused”.
He said: “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.”
Aluminium
The move has faced criticism from the aluminium can industry, however, with Alupro warning that the move could prove devastating for the UK’s aluminium can industry, as it would be faced with a disadvantage.
Tom Giddings, executive director of Alupro, explained that with glass excluded, other packaging types face a gaping commercial disadvantage – especially when combined with a flat rate of deposit that incentivises the use of large plastic bottles.
“As a result, this move could destroy the future of the Scottish drink industry’s most sustainable packaging format,” he explained.
Mr Giddings added: “Excluding glass bottles seems senseless when it comes to ensuring that the public are receiving clear and simple recycling messages. Indeed, a scheme including glass would surely be easier to engage with, especially when compared to a system that includes certain packaging types, excludes others and expects consumers to understand the reasoning.
“These decisions are simply unacceptable for the UK can industry, an employer of thousands and a key contributor to the UK economy. Despite aluminium being infinitely recyclable and, therefore, the most sustainable packaging material, it seems that, through this announcement, we’ve put a nail in the coffin of a hugely successful industry.
Democracy
On the political front, Green Party MSP Mark Ruskell wrote to the leaders of the Scottish Labour and Liberal Democrat parties asking for a meeting to discuss “how we can work together to defend our democracy”. The Green Party’s Lorna Slater is the circular economy minister responsible for delivering the DRS system in Scotland.
In his letter, Mr Ruskell said: “There are a lot of decisions the last Labour and Liberal Democrat governments made I disagreed with at the time, but I would never have wanted any of those powers to be removed or for any of those decisions to be overridden from Westminster. That would have flown in the face of democracy”.
Meanwhile Ms Slater put a video out on Twitter accusing the government of “environmental blackmail”.
⚠️The Tories are resorting to environmental blackmail, and putting their own narrow political agenda ahead of our environment and Scotland's democracy.
✍️Tell Rishi Sunak that we must keep glass in our DRS:https://t.co/3lZqw7Ko1H pic.twitter.com/AdYLSfC0ug
— Scottish Greens (@scottishgreens) May 27, 2023
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