THE Scottish Government has responded after the UK Government announced legislation paving the way for a bottle-return scheme in England and Northern Ireland yesterday (Monday).
The European-style initiative will see people charged a deposit when buying a plastic, steel or aluminium container before receiving the money back when they hand it in for recycling at a collection point.
The new legislation signals that a scheme in England and Northern Ireland is planning to commence from October 2027.
The Scottish Government will align with the scheme, albeit introducing separate legislation and guidance.
It comes after the Scottish Government’s own deposit return scheme was scrapped in 2023 after the UK Government refused to allow for the inclusion of glass.
Despite the UK Government initially allowing devolved nations to design their own scheme, it refused to provide the Scottish Government with an exemption from the Internal Market Act, particularly in relation to the inclusion of glass in the scheme.
Responding to the announcement, a Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Scotland’s DRS Regulations were passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2020 and the scheme was due to launch in March last year.
"However, the previous UK Government's refusal to agree a full Internal Market Act exclusion for Scotland’s scheme meant we were left with no choice but to delay DRS and align with the UK scheme.
“The Scottish Government remains committed to seeing DRS delivered by October 2027 to realise the economic and environmental benefits it will bring and will continue to work with other nations to that end.”
