Calls for glass to be excluded from Welsh deposit return scheme
Over 60 retailers in the drinks industry have written an open letter to the Welsh government calling for the scheme to exclude glass in line with the rest of the UK.
Tuesday 20 June 2023 16:27, UK
Dozens of drinks retailers have written to the Welsh government asking them not to include glass as part of its deposit return scheme (DRS).
The call comes following a row last month after the UK government requested the Scottish government exclude glass from its scheme.
61 retailers operating in Wales have now written an open letter to the Welsh government calling for the exclusion of glass from its scheme.
The Welsh government maintains that its deposit return scheme will include glass bottles.
Signatories include Felinfoel Brewery, Penderyn Distillery, Brains, Marston's and Naked Wines.
The businesses have called on the Welsh government to "urgently review" its DRS to "prevent the creation of trade barriers and to avoid putting the future of our businesses at significant risk".
"We are greatly concerned that Wales' position on glass is now in conflict with all other schemes across the UK - following the UK Government's decision to only grant a limited exemption to the Scottish government, requesting they remove glass from their DRS," they said in an open letter.
The Welsh government said it is working with producers to manage the "impact" of the DRS.
The retailers claim that including glass as part of the DRS in Wales would "create confusion" and "inevitable fractures of trading activity".
They say it would lead to "higher industry emissions" and "significant additional costs for businesses".
"Ultimately, it will make it more difficult for consumers to recycle," they added.
'Insufficient justification'
The UK government allowed for a temporary exclusion for the Scottish DRS from the UK Internal Market Act last month but said this would not include glass products.
This would bring the DRS in Scotland in line with the UK government's plans for England.
The Act from which the Scottish government sought a temporary exemption was introduced to "preserve the ability to trade unhindered in every part of the UK".
As part of the scheme, consumers will pay a refundable deposit of 20p when buying single-use drinks containers made of plastic, glass, steel or aluminium.
Similar schemes are already in place in a number of European countries.
The scheme's launch in Scotland was pushed back to March 2024 while awaiting a decision by the UK government on a potential exemption.
It has since been delayed until 2025 in line with schemes in the rest of the UK after the government in Westminster ruled glass bottles could not be included.
The Welsh government is working with the UK government and the Northern Ireland Executive to launch compatible schemes.
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The UK government has said it will "continue to work closely with the Welsh government to ensure that schemes are fully interoperable", including "with regard to materials in scope".
It added there was "insufficient justification" for permanent divergence on glass.
"The inclusion of glass would add cost and complexity to the schemes in particular to hospitality and retail sectors, as well as adding consumer inconvenience," the government added.
A Welsh government spokesperson said: "All businesses, large and small, will need to play their role in moving to a circular economy.
"We continue to work with Welsh producers to look at how the impact of DRS can be managed."