Drinks industry and retail bosses have warned the Welsh government’s determination to include glass in its deposit return scheme will drive up the cost and complexity of a planned UK rollout, despite a breakthrough on the planned launch date.
On Friday The Grocer revealed Wales had agreed to accelerate its plans for a DRS scheme, keeping hopes alive of a UK-wide 2027 rollout.
The announcement by Welsh deputy first minister and cabinet secretary for climate change and rural affairs Huw Irranca-Davies, which followed weeks of intensive talks with Defra and the new industry DMO, was greeted by DRS supporters as a step toward a joined-up UK-wide approach.
However, in a joint statement the BRC, BSDA, BBPA and Natural Source Water Association have warned the refusal to drop glass from the Welsh plans remains a major source of concern to a successful rollout.
“We welcome confirmation from the Welsh government on its intention to align the introduction of a deposit return scheme in Wales for plastic drinks bottles and aluminium cans on the same timeline as England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as indicating a change in its initial approach to glass,” said the statement.
“However, we are disappointed that despite productive engagement over recent weeks, the Welsh government is still committed to forging its own path by including single-use glass drinks bottles from October 2027, a move which will significantly increase the cost and complexity of developing such a scheme while failing to deliver the environmental benefits a well-run DRS should deliver.
“We remain committed to identifying more effective and proportionate solutions and are open to exploring an industry-led, large-scale reuse trial in Wales that has the potential to deliver greater long-term sustainability outcomes while not undermining the UK-wide DRS.
“Although we have concerns about the small amount of detail developed so far and the tight timelines to which industry is required to work, we remain committed to developing an approach with the Welsh government which delivers for industry and the people of Wales.”
ACS CEO James Lowman said the “unnecessary operational complexity” would leave businesses running and supplying shops in Wales “confused and frustrated”.
“We have learned over the last decade of talks and trials on the introduction of a deposit return scheme that the operation of the scheme is complex,” Lowman said. “This becomes exponentially more challenging when there are fundamentally different approaches in different parts of the UK.
“We have seen welcome alignment around the treatment of all materials except glass, but the inclusion of glass in Wales and of an entirely different model to that being used elsewhere in the UK will promote a host of questions about how retailers will collect glass bottles, with no answers available yet.”
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