Bottle return scheme leads to industry backlash over glass inclusion

● All shops which sell drinks will offer 20p deposit refund under the plans

A row has broken out over the introduction of glass bottles into Scotland’ s new deposit return scheme.

Details of the DR S, announced in Holyrood yesterday revealed that glass bottles had been added to the list of drinks containers which shops will be expected to collect and recycle.

Environment secretary Roseanna Cunningham said the scheme would also involve all shops which sell drinks offering a 20p deposit refund if new legislation is passed by the Scottish Parliament later this year. The scheme is expected to be up and running by 2021 and will include aluminium and steel cans as well as plastic and glass bottles.

Environmental groups welcomed the move, but industry bodies warned that the addition of glass bottles to the DRS would add an additional £50 million per year to operating costs.

Ms Cunningham said that Scotland was the first part of the UK to outline the design of a deposit return scheme which gives the people of Scotland a clear and straightforward way to do their bit for the environment.

She added: “There is a global climate emergency and peo - ple across Scotland have been calling, rightly, for more ambition to tackle it and safeguard our planet for future generations. I am therefore delighted to confirm that I intend to implement a system covering PET – the most common form of plastic packaging – aluminium and steel cans, and glass, with a deposit refund set at 20p.”

Environmental campaigners welcomed the announcement about the scope of the system, with the Have You Got The Bottle? campaign, suggesting that the DRS could divert around 140,000 empty cans and bottles from litter to recycling every day .

But Richard Walker, managing director at Iceland, said that the inclusion of glass would “put further pressure on high street retailers” due to the size and scope of equipment required to recycle glass.

Ewan Macdonald-russell, of the Scottish retail Consortium, added: “The inclusion of glass will add an additional £50 million per annum to the cost of running a DRS; a cost that will end up being paid by consumers. Glass is a difficult, bulky, and heavy material to manage and will be an enormous burden, especially for those operating from smaller stores.”

Brigid Simmonds of the Scottish Beer and Pub Association also warned many pubs face a logistical nightmare dealing with glass.

“Including glass inside a DRS substantially increases costs and adds complexity to the system,” she warned.

“This will impact consumers and creates significant challenges for Scotland’s pubs.”