London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Scotland delays bottle and can return scheme after intense industry lobbying

Scotland delays bottle and can return scheme after intense industry lobbying

Launch of deposit return scheme, which would have been a UK first, pushed back until summer 2023
The launch of the UK’s first bottle and can deposit return scheme has been delayed until the summer of 2023 after Scottish ministers bowed to intense lobbying from major retailers and drinks companies.

Scotland’s deposit return scheme was due to start in July next year, in an effort to cut plastic waste, boost recycling and reduce littering by introducing a mandatory but refundable 20p deposit on all bottles and cans sold in shops.

Lorna Slater, the Scottish Green politician who recently became a minister in a cooperation deal with the Scottish National party, told MSPs that deadline had now been scrapped, as previously reported by the Guardian.

Environment campaigners were furious but Slater said introducing a national deposit return scheme was “a massive national undertaking” that had been delayed by the Covid crisis and Brexit.

She told MSPs an independent review had concluded the scheme was so extensive – involving 4,000 producers, 10,000 “take back” machines, and 2bn drinks containers – that meeting the current legal launch date of July 2022 would be far too difficult.

“It is essential that the scheme is a success and not just in the short term, but for decades to come,” she said. “I’m absolutely committed to introducing the [deposit return scheme] as soon as practicably possible.”

Before becoming a minister, Slater publicly endorsed a Scottish Green party manifesto – which helped her party win a record seven MSPs – that backed the July 2022 target date. Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, promised in 2017 to introduce the scheme in Scotland.

Tesco, the UK’s largest retailer, and Coca-Cola are understood to have pressed hard for the scheme to be delayed. Although UK ministers have promised to consult on a scheme for England, the Welsh government has said it cannot implement its scheme yet because the UK’s internal market rules have caused confusion about cross-border sales.

John Mayhew, the director of the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland, said this delay would result in 173,000 tons of avoidable carbon emissions, 55m pieces of litter and £7.3m in avoidable refuse and street cleaning costs for local councils.

“This is a sad day for Scotland’s environment,” he said. “The Scottish government’s flagship waste reduction programme lies essentially scuttled beneath the waves, sunk by a combination of intense industry lobbying and a lack of political will.”

Maurice Golden of the Scottish Conservatives said Slater was presiding over a “shambolic process”. Its tendering process was secret, there was no information yet on startup costs and it was still not known whether the deposit return machines would be built in Scotland.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×