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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Deadline day for Scotland's deposit return scheme | Deadline day for Scotland's deposit return scheme |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The Scottish government wants to include glass bottles in its plans | The Scottish government wants to include glass bottles in its plans |
| The Scottish government's deadline for UK ministers to remove conditions on Scotland's deposit return scheme (DRS) is due to expire on Monday. | The Scottish government's deadline for UK ministers to remove conditions on Scotland's deposit return scheme (DRS) is due to expire on Monday. |
| The scheme could be scrapped if ministers do not backtrack on denying permission for glass to be included. | The scheme could be scrapped if ministers do not backtrack on denying permission for glass to be included. |
| First Minister Humza Yousaf set the Monday ultimatum in a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday. | First Minister Humza Yousaf set the Monday ultimatum in a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday. |
| But Scottish Secretary Alister Jack made it clear on Sunday that there will be no green light given for glass. | But Scottish Secretary Alister Jack made it clear on Sunday that there will be no green light given for glass. |
| Last week, UK ministers approved a partial exemption to the Internal Market Act for the deposit scheme, but stipulated glass could not be involved north of the border. | Last week, UK ministers approved a partial exemption to the Internal Market Act for the deposit scheme, but stipulated glass could not be involved north of the border. |
| Mr Jack told BBC Scotland's Sunday Show the UK government should not change its position and the exclusion of glass remains a condition of their support. | Mr Jack told BBC Scotland's Sunday Show the UK government should not change its position and the exclusion of glass remains a condition of their support. |
| Jack says PM should not backtrack over deposit return scheme | Jack says PM should not backtrack over deposit return scheme |
| Deposit return scheme could be at risk - Yousaf | Deposit return scheme could be at risk - Yousaf |
| Is glass important to the deposit return scheme? | Is glass important to the deposit return scheme? |
| The Scottish government will meet on Tuesday to discuss the implications if Mr Sunak does not respond to the first minister's deadline on Monday. | The Scottish government will meet on Tuesday to discuss the implications if Mr Sunak does not respond to the first minister's deadline on Monday. |
| "The cabinet will have to make a decision on what remains of the scheme if it has been sabotaged by the UK government," the SNP's deputy leader Keith Brown told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme. | "The cabinet will have to make a decision on what remains of the scheme if it has been sabotaged by the UK government," the SNP's deputy leader Keith Brown told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme. |
| "The first minister will be hoping Rishi Sunak can bring some pressure to bear on Alister Jack to see some sense." | |
| 'Not something unusual' | 'Not something unusual' |
| Mr Brown accused the Scottish secretary of "scandalous" mis-representation in stating that the Scottish DRS would not be recycling glass, but crushing it and using it as aggregate for filling roads. | |
| Circularity Scotland, the administrator of the scheme, said Mr Jack's claim was "totally inaccurate" and that a target of 90% for the remelting and reuse of glass would rise to 95% once the scheme was launched. | Circularity Scotland, the administrator of the scheme, said Mr Jack's claim was "totally inaccurate" and that a target of 90% for the remelting and reuse of glass would rise to 95% once the scheme was launched. |
| If it goes live as planned in March 2024, the deposit return scheme would see a 20p charge placed on drinks containers which would be refunded to consumers upon their return in a bid to increase recycling levels. | If it goes live as planned in March 2024, the deposit return scheme would see a 20p charge placed on drinks containers which would be refunded to consumers upon their return in a bid to increase recycling levels. |
| Mr Brown added that including glass in the scheme was "not something new or bizarre or unusual" and that 51 other countries had managed to launch similar schemes which included glass. | Mr Brown added that including glass in the scheme was "not something new or bizarre or unusual" and that 51 other countries had managed to launch similar schemes which included glass. |
| "There is no reason why Scotland can't do that," he said. "It is the best thing for our environment. | "There is no reason why Scotland can't do that," he said. "It is the best thing for our environment. |
| "I think people are bemused at why the UK government is taking this approach. We know action has to be taken. It reduces by around a third the effectiveness of the scheme if you take out glass, so let's just get some common sense on the table." | |
| In an interview on the BBC's The Sunday Show, Mr Jack strongly defended the UK government's position | In an interview on the BBC's The Sunday Show, Mr Jack strongly defended the UK government's position |
| In an interview on the BBC's The Sunday Show, Mr Jack strongly defended the UK government's position | In an interview on the BBC's The Sunday Show, Mr Jack strongly defended the UK government's position |
| In his letter to Mr Sunak, Mr Yousaf urged a rethink on removing glass, citing "a significant impact on business". | In his letter to Mr Sunak, Mr Yousaf urged a rethink on removing glass, citing "a significant impact on business". |
| The UK government has said deposit return schemes should be consistent across the UK. | The UK government has said deposit return schemes should be consistent across the UK. |
| Mr Jack said on Sunday there would be a single bar code system and membership of just one scheme would be needed instead of multiple schemes so there would be no extra costs. | Mr Jack said on Sunday there would be a single bar code system and membership of just one scheme would be needed instead of multiple schemes so there would be no extra costs. |
| He said having no glass in the scheme "makes sense" as "that's what industry have asked us to do", adding he had received more than 1,000 letters of concern from businesses about the Scottish DRS. | He said having no glass in the scheme "makes sense" as "that's what industry have asked us to do", adding he had received more than 1,000 letters of concern from businesses about the Scottish DRS. |
| "It's those concerns that we've taken into account when we've come to our conclusion because we believe the deposit charge should be the same and reciprocated across the UK," he said. | "It's those concerns that we've taken into account when we've come to our conclusion because we believe the deposit charge should be the same and reciprocated across the UK," he said. |
| "If I get off the train in Carlisle and buy some recyclable material and it's 10p in Carlisle and 20p in Dumfries, I double my money. That makes no sense." | "If I get off the train in Carlisle and buy some recyclable material and it's 10p in Carlisle and 20p in Dumfries, I double my money. That makes no sense." |
| 'Dog's dinner' | |
| In his letter to the prime minister, Mr Yousaf had cited concerns raised by C&C Group - one of the country's biggest brewers and the company behind Tennent's Lager. | In his letter to the prime minister, Mr Yousaf had cited concerns raised by C&C Group - one of the country's biggest brewers and the company behind Tennent's Lager. |
| But, in correspondence Mr Jack received from the firm, seen by the BBC, the company said it had been "misrepresented" in passages from the letter sent to Mr Yousaf that appeared in the media. | |
| C&C added it was "actively seeking and supports a UK-wide scheme introduced at the same time across the four UK nations". | |
| Mr Brown denied any knowledge of C&C's letter being leaked to the media, saying he did not think the group mentioned the Scottish government. | |
| But the Scottish Conservatives said Mr Brown was being "utterly disingenuous" in claiming C&C's letter was "somehow not a criticism of the Scottish government because it didn't actually name them". | |
| MSP Maurice Golden added: "The SNP-Greens are resorting to absurd ultimatums, dodgy stats and deflection to try to disguise the reality - that they have made a dog's dinner of DRS from day one by refusing to heed the warnings of businesses and recklessly ploughing ahead with an unworkable scheme." | |
| 'Deeply unhelpful' | |
| Scottish Greens environment spokesman Mark Ruskell said on Monday that the DRS was now "on the brink" and there needed to be negotiation around the detail of the conditions set down by the UK government. | Scottish Greens environment spokesman Mark Ruskell said on Monday that the DRS was now "on the brink" and there needed to be negotiation around the detail of the conditions set down by the UK government. |
| "Some of these conditions are very, very challenging," he told Good Morning Scotland. | "Some of these conditions are very, very challenging," he told Good Morning Scotland. |
| "If the UK government continues to require the exclusion of glass, then clearly that will have an economic impact on the viability of the scheme. It will also have a very damaging impact on the environmental benefits of the scheme as well. | "If the UK government continues to require the exclusion of glass, then clearly that will have an economic impact on the viability of the scheme. It will also have a very damaging impact on the environmental benefits of the scheme as well. |
| "It is not what was agreed back in 2019 between the UK government and all the nations of the UK. It's not the flexibility that was agreed and I think quite frankly the involvement of the Secretary of State for Scotland has been deeply unhelpful." | "It is not what was agreed back in 2019 between the UK government and all the nations of the UK. It's not the flexibility that was agreed and I think quite frankly the involvement of the Secretary of State for Scotland has been deeply unhelpful." |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Scottish government | Scottish government |
| UK government | UK government |
| Recycling | Recycling |
| Rishi Sunak | Rishi Sunak |
| Humza Yousaf | Humza Yousaf |