The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Minister ‘disappointed not surprised’ by UK’s delay for DRS scheme
Scotland’s net-zero secretary has said a decision to delay the introduction of a deposit return scheme across the UK by two years is “disappointing” but “unsurprising”.
Mairi McAllan spoke out after the UK Government’s Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it – together with the Scottish and Welsh governments and Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs – had “agreed to a revised timeline” to launch a deposit return scheme (DRS) in October 2027.
It had previously been hoped a scheme, where shoppers are charged a deposit when buying drinks in cans and bottles which is returned to them when they bring the container back for recycling, could have been up and running by October 2025.
Holyrood ministers had previously planned to bring in a Scotland-only version of the scheme in 2023 but were forced to change their plans when the UK Government ruled glass bottles could not be included as part of it.
Defra minister Robbie Moore yesterday said launching DRS in October 2025 had always been a “stretching target date”.
He added “additional time will be needed to efficiently and effectively roll out the schemes across the UK”.
Mr Moore said: “With the agreement of ministerial colleagues across the devolved administrations, the DRS will go live in October 2027.”
Ms McAllan said this delay to the scheme showed how being in the UK was “holding Scotland back in tackling the climate emergency”.
The Scottish net-zero secretary said: “It’s extremely disappointing but perhaps unsurprising the UK Government has failed to make progress and is delaying the UK-wide deposit return scheme even further to October 2027.
“This comes less than a year after their inexplicable, last-minute intervention prevented Scotland’s scheme from launching.”
Ms McAllan continued: “Deposit return schemes have been shown across Europe to reduce litter, cut emissions and build a greener and more circular economy.
“Scotland would be enjoying these benefits by now if it wasn’t for the UK Government’s reckless actions.
“Indeed, just recently, independent and successful Ireland launched a similar scheme. This is a clear example of the UK holding Scotland back in tackling the climate emergency.”
Scotland would be enjoying these benefits by now