Small firms press for say in deposit return scheme

Andrew McRae, FSB Scotland’s policy chairman

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

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has joined the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland (APRS), which spearheaded the environmental initiative, to produce a list of requests.

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 introduce the system; shoppers pay a 20p deposit when buying drinks in plastic or glass bottles or a metal can, which is refunded when they are returned for recycling.

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

They also want operators to fund equipment for firms to collect and store empty drink containers.

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

APRS director John Mayhew said: “We’ve always said that big producers and big retailers will readily be able to make it work for them, but, as so often, it’ll be harder to get the regulations right for small businesses in Scotland.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said the government was “keen to support” businesses ahead of the scheme’s implementation.