The UK government has once again kicked the can down the road and revised its timeline for the launch of a nationwide Deposit Return Scheme on drinks bottles.
Robbie Moore, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Water and Rural Growth confirmed the decision to delay the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) until October 2027.
The scheme is being positioned as a pivotal move in promoting recycling and reducing litter and involves placing a redeemable deposit on single-use drinks containers to be refunded upon their return.
It was originally planned to launch in 2025, a deadline that has since been revised following consultations by Defra and discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive, Welsh Government, and the Scottish Government.
Key features of the UK’s proposed DRS include a join registration across devolved governments, reciprocal returns, and specific stipulations on the minimum size of containers. However, the inclusion of glass containers has not been agreed upon with the Welsh Government confirming today it will continue to include glass in its DRS.
The Welsh government said that excluding glass could lead to producers switching to less environmentally friendly materials and make the glass sector less competitive.
Last year, however, Scotland’s DRS collapsed after the UK government declined a request for full exclusion from the Internal Market Act, which meant Scotland could not include glass in its scheme.
Environment Secretary, Steve Barclay has said the UK government would also decline a request from the Welsh government for full exclusion from the Internal Market Act.
Robbie Moore told parliament last week that the scheme would not include glass because glass recycling would “create undue complexity for the drinks industry and it increases storage and handling cost for retailers.”
The Guardian reports that large drinks companies have been lobbying the government to remove glass from the scheme across the UK.
The delay has been attributed to ‘the additional time needed to synchronise the policy of the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales’ with that in England’.
Moore said: “We will continue our conversations with the Welsh government, but if their position does not change, we will reiterate the duty to protect the UK internal market and facilitate free trade within the UK so business can continue trading unhindered across the UK and ensure better prices and choice for consumers.”
UK consumers use an estimated 13 billion plastic drinks bottles a year. Only 7.5 billion of those are recycled, with the remaining 5.5 billion sent to landfill, littered, or incinerated. Deposit return schemes have increased recycling rates to more than 90% in other countries.
The charity, Keep Britain Tidy estimates 25 billion bottles and cans will be littered between now and the start of the scheme in 2027. Responding to the delay of the DRS, Allison Ogden-Newton, head of the charity, said: “This delay means oceans of bottles and cans will continue to needlessly pile up in bins and continue to be strewn on roadsides and in our green spaces, rather than being recycled.
“The exclusion of glass is hugely disappointing. Glass containers start fires and cause harm to people, pets, and wildlife. This is why 78% of people want to see it included in a deposit return scheme. We are pleased Wales look determined to pursue their best-in-class scheme, and encourage the rest of the UK to follow suit.”