Deposit return scheme ‘must work’

Ministers are being urged to give small stores a say in establishing how Scotland’s deposit return scheme will work.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has joined forces with the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland (APRS), which spearheaded the campaign for environmental initiative, to produce a list of asks for the Scottish Government.

FSB Scotland policy chairman Andrew Mcrae said these were designed to “ensure deposit return works well for some of Scotland’s smallest businesses, from the corner shop to the micro-brewery”.

Scotland is the first part of the UK to bring in such a system as part of environmental efforts – with shoppers paying a 20p deposit when buying drinks in a plastic or glass bottle or a metal can, and getting their money back when returning them for recycling.

APRS and the FSB are insisting small businesses must have “appropriate representation” on the board of any deposit return scheme operator.

They also want the operators to meet the expense of providing equipment for firms to collect and store empty drinks containers – as well as “frequent and predictable” collections from these.

If necessary, there should be the option for extra ad hoc collections to be organised, potentially over periods such as Hogmanay, the FSB and APRS insisted.

The organisations stressed there must be no detriment to small firms as a result of taking part in the scheme.

To prevent small drinks manufacturers from being disadvantaged, they argued for a tiered system for registration fees, rather than a flat rate payment.

APRS director John Mayhew said: “The rules for Scotland’s deposit return system will be finalised over the next few months, and it’s time to get into the detail.”

Morrisons are trialling single-use bottles.