Zero Waste Scotland has been open to applications to operate voluntary return points from organisations not legally required to run one since January 2021. These organisations include shopping centres, hospitals and railway stations.
However, despite Zero Waste Scotland predicting in analysis for the Scottish government that these organisations would set up 500 voluntary return points, there have so far been zero applications.
This was revealed in response to a question last month from Conservative MSP Maurice Golden, who asked how many applications to operate voluntary points Zero Waste Scotland had processed to date.
Circular economy minister Lorna Slater responded on 30 June, admitting Zero Waste Scotland had not received a single application so far.
Applications
Ms Slater suggested applications would increase as the scheme’s launch date drew closer. She said: “ZWS anticipate an increase in applications over late summer/early autumn when the milestone ‘one year to go’ is reached.
ZWS anticipate an increase in applications over late summer/early autumn
– Lorna Slater, Scotland’s circular economy minister
“It is expected this will be followed by a lull over the Christmas period, with further increases in 2023 building from early spring until go-live in August 2023.”
Ms Slater added that Zero Waste Scotland was working with a system-wide advisory group to “more accurately forecast and manage application numbers”.
She made no mention of how long it could take volunteers to set up their return points if they submitted applications close to the scheme’s launch date.
Volunteers
In an attempt to be the first UK nation to introduce a DRS, Scotland’s scheme will go live from next year, after being pushed back twice. A refundable 20p deposit will apply to all in-scope drinks containers.
People will be able to return bottles and cans made from PET plastic, steel, aluminium, and glass to any shop or hospitality venue in Scotland that operates as a return point.
Circularity Scotland, the scheme’s not-for-profit administrator, says volunteers can operate return points using “manual handling”, whereby they collect containers over the counter and repay consumers deposits from the till. Containers would be stored in so-called ‘tote boxes’ and bags and collected on a weekly or fortnightly basis.
Alternatively, volunteers could operate one or more reverse vending machines, “especially when they are in high traffic areas handling high volumes of recycling,” Circularity Scotland says.
Anyone can apply to operate a voluntary return point, provided they can prove they have “sufficient operational and financial plans” to set up and run the return point for at least a year.
Applicants must show that they have carried out an analysis of the number of containers they will return in the average month, that they have funds in place to pay the start-up costs and that they can cover costs not reimbursed through the handling fee.
Circular economy
Meanwhile, Mr Golden also asked whether Zero Waste Scotland would continue to be funded entirely from public funds.
Ms Slater said Zero Waste Scotland was an “important delivery partner” in supporting the Scottish Government’s ambitions for a circular economy.
“The Scottish Government will continue to fund ZWS and other partners that are able to provide the required specialist expertise to progress the circular economy agenda,” she said.
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