The controversial Scottish Deposit Return Scheme has been delayed until 2025, at the earliest.
The scheme, which was due to launch in March 2024 has been postponed due to the exclusion of glass from the Scottish scheme by the UK government.
Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater said, “As of today it is now clear that we have been left with no other option than to delay the launch of Scotland’s DRS until October 2025 at the earliest based on the UK Government’s current aspirations.
“I remain committed to interoperable DRS schemes across the UK provided that we can work in a spirit of collaboration not imposition.”
The delay in the Scottish scheme means it is likely to coincide with similar proposals for other parts of the UK.
In response to the ministerial statement regarding the Scottish DRS, David Harris, Circularity Scotland Chief Executive.said, “This is clearly a disappointing outcome, which will have a significant impact on investment in Scotland. We have made it clear that industry was prepared for the Deposit Return Scheme to go live in March 2024, and that a scheme without glass is both economically viable and is an opportunity for Scotland to provide a platform for a UK-wide DRS.
“Regrettably, further delaying the introduction of DRS will hinder Scotland’s progress towards net zero and mean that billions of drinks containers continue to end up as waste.
“The Board of Circularity Scotland will now consider the impact of this announcement and our immediate priority will be communicating with our people. We will provide further updates in due course.”
NTIA Scotland, said, “NTIA Scotland welcomes the news that the Scottish Government’s DRS scheme will be delayed in its current form until at least October 2025 until a UK wide set of standards can be agreed.
“Scotland’s DRS scheme as it had been designed was simply unworkable and both the Scottish and UK Governments must now take this opportunity to review the fundamental flaws and challenges that would have severely disadvantaged Scotland’s small businesses.
“At a meeting this morning with the First Minister the single biggest message from business was that any scheme must be identical in scope and timing across the whole of the UK. It’s important that we take a common sense approach and consider how to design a consistent and fair UK wide set of scheme standards, avoiding market distortions.
“We will continue to engage with Governments across all 4 nations of the UK on the implementation of a UK wide set of DRS scheme standards that learn lessons from the pitfalls and mistakes which unfortunately were not able to be resolved in Scotland .”
UKHospitality Scotland Executive Director Leon Thompson said, “Hospitality businesses across Scotland will be breathing a huge sigh of relief hearing this news and I’m delighted that the concerns raised by UKHospitality Scotland have been heard loud and clear.
“The Deposit Return Scheme, even before recent UK Government interventions, was not ready to launch in March and businesses had made that clear to the Scottish Government. Evidently, those interventions have made the prospect of launch impossible.
“This is the third delay to the scheme and it is imperative that there is now a joined up approach from all governments. It’s crucial that there is maximum alignment and interoperability across all schemes, to make things as simple as possible for businesses.
“Businesses are not against a recycling scheme – far from it. Hospitality already has one of the best recycling records in the economy and we can do even more, but a Deposit Return Scheme needs to work for businesses. It cannot be yet another piece of red-tape that is costly and burdensome.
“It’s time for work to begin on a scheme that can genuinely achieve the environmental and sustainability ambitions we all have, with true engagement with business.”
CEO of the Scottish Beer & Pub Association Emma McClarkin said, “We welcome the announcement this afternoon from the Scottish Government. The beer and pub industry remains committed to delivering an effective Deposit Return Scheme, but we did not have confidence that it would be deliverable by March 2024 due to the number of outstanding issues and ongoing lack of clarity, alongside the additional conditions in the partial IMA exemption, and increased politicisation of the policy.
“We now strongly urge all stakeholders to come together and work towards simultaneous DRS implementation across the UK to deliver optimal schemes for the environment, consumers, and for business.”