In separate interventions this week, the Welsh arm of the Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) and a group of 12 independent Welsh drinks businesses have urged the new administration in Cardiff to move quickly to finalise its plans for DRS ahead of the UK-wide launch in October 2027.
The calls come as the new Welsh Government, led by Plaid Cymru, inherits unresolved questions over the appointment of a Deposit Management Organisation to run the scheme.
Glass remains a central concern
Writing to Wales’ new Cabinet Secretary for Sustainability and Rural Resilience, Llŷr Gruffydd, the Fed’s Welsh President Mark Dudden said independent retailers were increasingly concerned by the lack of progress.
Dudden said Wales was falling behind the rest of the UK on what he described as a “vital initiative” to improve recycling rates and reduce litter.
In his letter, he urged ministers to set out a clear roadmap for implementation, stressing that retailers and wider supply chain stakeholders need certainty to prepare for DRS, now just 15 months away.
He said it was “essential” that any Welsh DRS infrastructure was fully interoperable with the rest of the UK to prevent fraudulent abuse of the system.
The Fed also repeated its opposition to the inclusion of glass in the Welsh scheme, arguing that it would create additional logistical challenges for small retailers because of the extra weight involved and the risk of injury from broken bottles.
Welsh Government urged to appoint DMO
In a separate letter, 12 Welsh drinks producers have also written to Gruffydd urging him to appoint Exchange for Change as Wales’ DRS administrator.
The signatories include Radnor Hills, Brecon Carreg and Brains Brewery, alongside other independent alcohol, soft drinks and bottled water producers from across Wales.
They said appointing the same administrator as the rest of the UK was the only realistic way to ensure Wales had an operational scheme in place when DRS goes live elsewhere in October 2027.
Before the Senedd closed ahead of elections, the Welsh Government reopened applications for the scheme’s DMO after an earlier process failed to appoint an operator.
Industry sources indicated that Exchange For Change – the appointed DMO for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland – was the sole applicant during the first application round but was not selected.
Exchange for Change has announced its intention to submit a fresh application following the reopening of the Welsh process.
The businesses warned that further delays risk creating major disruption for Welsh producers, who could be forced to navigate a fragmented market if Wales is not aligned.
They also raised fresh concerns over the inclusion of glass, citing industry analysis that suggests a full-scale glass collection model from day one could add as much as 50p to the cost of every glass bottled drink sold in Wales.
In their letter, the businesses warned that this could result in higher prices for consumers, reduced product choice and serious pressure on Welsh manufacturers.
They said the consequences could mean “higher prices for Welsh shoppers as well as fewer glass products on Welsh shelves, fewer viable Welsh businesses like ours, and fewer Welsh jobs”.
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