F
irst Minister Humza Yousaf has been advised there may be nothing to cease him from introducing a deposit return scheme in Scotland, as UK ministers knocked again his demand for glass to be included within the programme.
The way forward for the deposit return scheme (DRS) north of the border now appears doubtful, after UK ministers wrote to Mr Yousaf on Monday to inform him they might not permit glass to be included within the scheme to make sure “simplicity and interoperability”.
Mr Yousaf had advised Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that failure to revoke the circumstances set out by Westminster once they allowed a partial exemption to the Internal Market Act – which meant glass was not allowed in Scotland – would put the DRS in “grave danger”.
But within the letter, which was despatched forward of Mr Yousaf’s cupboard assembly on Tuesday, Michael Gove , Alister Jack, and Therese Coffey mentioned the restricted exemption granted supplied a “practical solution to proceed with the Scottish Government’s scheme, balanced with the need to uphold the UK’s internal market (UKIM), ensuring a level playing field for all British businesses and consumers as we maximise the benefits of aligned schemes across the UK in the future”.
The three UK Government ministers advised Mr Yousaf on Monday that the “exclusion of glass also ensures consumer choice is not restricted in Scotland”, and that there was a danger some producers would have chosen to not promote their merchandise north of the border.
The ministers advised him: “As we have granted UKIM exclusion, 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.”
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, schemes are anticipated to be rolled out from 2025, however in Scotland it was set to start out in March subsequent 12 months.
If it goes forward as deliberate in 2024, Scotland’s DRS would see a 20p cost positioned on drinks containers which might be refunded to shoppers upon their return in a bid to extend recycling ranges.
But earlier on Monday Mr Yousaf mentioned it was “extremely difficult” to see the Scottish scheme going forward with out glass.
“It’s extremely difficult because not only do you look at whether or not CSL (Circularity Scotland Ltd) are able to get the drawdown of funding, we have to look at what the impact is going to be on Scottish businesses, on their jobs, on their investment, on the price of their product,” he mentioned.
