And, the organisation finds that “in the aggregate, local authorities’ kerbside services benefited financially from a DRS” by between £1.3 million and £9.2 million. And, the study found that the more material captured by a deposit system, the better the financial implications for local authorities.
But the research also highlights some of the work done on potential costs that manufacturers would face, with the Packaging Recycling Group Scotland suggesting costs as high as £92 million in year one of a scheme.
Deposit return schemes(DRS) see consumers pay a deposit which is refundable once the empty bottle or container is returned.
The research findings were published last Friday (30 June) on the same day that the Scottish Government announced that it had asked Zero Waste Scotland to look at how a potential ‘deposit return scheme’ might operate in Scotland.
Options
Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham announced on Friday that Zero Waste Scotland will investigate design options and the associated costs and benefits of how a deposit return scheme could operate. Options will then be put to the public for consultation before ministers come to a final decision on the future of deposit return.
Ms Cunningham said: “I am grateful to Zero Waste Scotland for its work so far on deposit return and to everyone who provided evidence to help us better understand the benefits of deposit return for recycling and reducing litter, and potential impacts on retailers and local authorities.
“Clearly there are a number of issues for the Scottish Government to consider when it comes to deposit return schemes that can only be addressed by carrying out work to understand the design of a potential system. I have asked Zero Waste Scotland to start this work.
“Progress will be overseen by a steering group involving representatives from the packaging industry, retailers and environmental groups, and followed by a full public consultation to ensure we are as well-informed as possible before any decisions are made.”
The latest work by Zero Waste Scotland gathered evidence around key questions identified by the Scottish Government following its initial investigation of the merits of a deposit system for Scotland.
Zero Waste Scotland conducted new analysis on some of these questions, as well as working closely with stakeholders to collect more detailed information.
Topics explored in its report included the possible implications of a deposit return system on local authority kerbside collection costs; potential anti-litter impacts of a deposit return system; and, potential implications for manufacturers and retailers.
The report suggests that direct savings on litter clearance to local authorities following the introduction of a deposit system would be between £3m and £6m. And, according to the report, the aggregate local authorities’ kerbside services benefited financially from a deposit return system in all the scenarios modelled.
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