London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

Scotland must rethink bottle recycling scheme - UK minister

Scotland must rethink bottle recycling scheme - UK minister

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack has urged the Scottish government to rethink its flagship recycling policy.

The UK minister said the Deposit Return Scheme should be "paused" after business leaders raised concerns over the costs involved in setting it up.

The initiative is designed to boost recycling via a 20p deposit on single-use drinks bottles and cans.

Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater insisted it "will be successful" and would launch in August as planned.

But industry critics fear it will disrupt trade, raise prices and reduce choice.

Mr Jack said the Scottish government should consider waiting for a unified approach with the rest of the UK.

Speaking to the Scottish Mail on Sunday, he said a UK-wide scheme - due to launch in 2025 - would maximise environmental benefits and minimise disruption to the drinks industry.

"The introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme is a challenging and complex piece of work," he said.

"The last thing we want to do is rush into this and cause unnecessary difficulties for businesses in Scotland, particularly when many are still recovering from the effects of the Covid pandemic and are having to deal with increased costs due to the war in Ukraine."

The UK government scheme is set to launch in collaboration with the Welsh government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland.

Mr Jack added: "It is not too late to think again and so I am calling on the Scottish government to pause its scheme and work with us to design a system that works for the whole UK."

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said the Deposit Return Scheme should be "paused"

Scotland would be the first UK nation to introduce deposit return scheme if it goes ahead in the summer.

The Scottish government originally outlined plans in 2017, saying it represented "a step change in our level of ambition" for recycling.

It was pushed back to July 2022, with the government blaming the Covid pandemic, then delayed again until August this year.

Lorna Slater previously told MSPs that a number of issues were holding up the system, including Brexit.

Drinks industry critics fear the scheme could create a trade barrier between Scotland and England, as it would require firms to charge higher prices north of the border.

Jamie Delap, who runs family-owned Scottish brewer Fyne Ales, said the deadline for businesses to sign up was the end of this month, but many details of the scheme were still unknown.


'Reckless going ahead'


He told BBC Scotland: "Either we sign up to a three-year legal agreement with unknown unquantifiable costs, or we don't sign up and face the possibility of not being able to sell in Scotland.

"Some smaller brewers might have to increase costs up to 50%, a larger producer might increase 25%, or even more.

"I can see Scottish brewers going out of business and people outside Scotland refusing to sell here."

Earlier this week, SNP MSP Fergus Ewing, former Scottish government rural affairs minister, also called for the scheme to be paused.

He told BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show: "The government's own review has said this cannot work. This means it is reckless going ahead.

"Surely the permanent secretary and others in St Andrews house should get out of those offices, go and speak to industry and sort it out before this disaster becomes a catastrophe."

Lorna Slater said she had met with industry leaders about their concerns


In December the Scottish government review of the scheme found many issues were "yet to be resolved" and said a "fully functioning scheme can not be in operation by August".

Mr Ewing has called for an independent review and a summit between Lorna Slater, the first minister, business leaders and the scheme's administrators.

But Ms Slater insisted the August launch date would stand and said she had been spoken to industry leaders about their concerns.

She told BBC Scotland: "I know there are still some outstanding concerns, particularly from small producers.

"I met with them urgently on Friday to go through those concerns, and start working on practical solutions so that all businesses in Scotland can fully participate in the scheme this August.

"We have already given industry one additional year to help them recover from Covid and get ready for the scheme and we have been working very closely with them to reduce costs and make it simpler to participate."

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have also warned against the scheme's current timescale.

Climate emergency spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP said: "We have repeatedly urged the Scottish government to listen and learn from successful schemes elsewhere in Europe, but key questions remain unanswered.

"It is time ministers hit pause to avoid playing havoc with business, harming public confidence and undermining the well-intentioned case for the Deposit Return Scheme itself."

Scottish Conservative MSP Maurice Golden added: "This deadline is absurd, unfair and insane.

"Nicola Sturgeon must step and ditch this deadline, while her government listens properly to the dire warnings of traders."

Scottish Labour net zero spokesperson Colin Smyth said: "Scottish Labour supports the principle of such a scheme but the current proposals are so flawed they look set to devastate business while also failing to deliver against the original ambition."

The scheme is being run by Circularity Scotland, Zero waste Scotland helped design it and advised on its implementation, while environment agency Sepa is the scheme's regulator.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
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
×