The Scottish First Minister, Humza Yousaf, wrote to the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak over the weekend (3 June) urging him to revoke the government’s decision last week to allow the Scottish DRS an exclusion from the Internal Markets Act, but only for metal drinks cans and plastic drinks bottles.
Mr Yousaf set a deadline of 5 June to respond prior to a cabinet meeting later today.
However, Michael Gove, Alister Jack and Thérèse Coffey have now written a letter confirming to Mr Yousaf that Westminster will not change the decision to block the inclusion of glass.
In the letter, the three cabinet ministers said there was “nothing to prevent” Scotland launching its own scheme in March 2024, ahead of the rest of the UK, but without the inclusion of glass.
Disadvantage
The letter said: “In your letter of June 2, you note that Scottish businesses may face a competitive disadvantage due to the exclusion of glass from the scheme.
“Interoperability of schemes across the whole UK ensures all manufacturers, whether in Clydebank, Carlisle, Cardiff, or Carrickfergus, have the same access to sell their products across the UK internal market.
“The exclusion of glass also ensures consumer choice is not restricted in Scotland, given the risk that differences in scope would have led to some producers choosing not to supply Scotland through online or physical sales.”
The letter added that there is “nothing to prevent you from proceeding with your own scheme next March, on the basis that it would form part of a UK-wide solution to protect our shared market and increase recycling from 2025.”
DRS
The future of the DRS in Scotland now hangs in the balance, as Mr Yousaf had been reported as saying to the BBC that it would be difficult to implement it without glass.
The scheme administer, Circularity Scotland, did however say it was still possible to go ahead with the scheme.
Waste management firm Biffa has also invested in sites and equipment as the logistics partner for Scotland’s deposit return delivery body, Circularity Scotland. Asked by letsrecycle.com whether it would be among those potentially seeking compensation in the face of a delay, a spokesperson for Biffa said: “As the logistics provider for the Deposit Return Scheme in Scotland, we remain fully committed to helping to deliver a scheme that works for Scotland and will not be commenting further on any of the current speculation, at this time.”
Our approach ensures consistency across the UK
- UK government spokesperson
‘Simple and effective’
A UK government spokesperson told letsrecycle.com that it carefully considered the impact on businesses, including distillers and the hospitality sector, and the repercussions on trade and consumers created by permanently different arrangements on glass within the UK.
They reasoned that groups, particularly glass manufacturers, retailers and hospitality venues, oppose glass being included, citing concerns about costs, consumer inconvenience and complexity for the hospitality sector.
The spokesperson said: “Our approach ensures consistency across the UK, which is the best way to provide a simple and effective system for both businesses and consumers.
“Including glass in the scheme would have led to additional costs and complexity as well as increased consumer inconvenience, as glass weighs more than other materials, takes up space and creates more risks from breakages.”
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