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Deadline day for Scotland's deposit return scheme Yousaf warning on deposit return scheme deadline day
(about 4 hours later)
The Scottish government wants to include glass bottles in its plans Mr Yousaf said he would struggle to see how the scheme could go ahead without glass
The Scottish government's deadline for UK ministers to remove conditions on Scotland's deposit return scheme (DRS) is due to expire on Monday. Humza Yousaf has said it is "very difficult" to see a future for Scotland's deposit return scheme if glass is not allowed to be included.
The scheme could be scrapped if ministers do not backtrack on denying permission for glass to be included. The Scottish government's deadline for UK ministers to remove the condition on its scheme for recycling cans and bottles is due to expire later.
First Minister Humza Yousaf set the Monday ultimatum in a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday. The first minister set the deadline day in a letter to UK 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 he said no final decision would be made until his cabinet met on Tuesday.
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, the UK government approved a partial exemption to the Internal Market Act for the deposit scheme, but stipulated glass could not be part of it.
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 Yousaf said he "would struggle to see how the scheme could go ahead if it doesn't include glass".
Jack says PM should not backtrack over deposit return schemeJack says PM should not backtrack over deposit return scheme
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. Speaking to a Scottish business forum event, the first minister said he was "annoyed as well as upset" that the scheme had become a point of disagreement between the Scottish and UK governments.
"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. He said he was not prepared to put some of Scotland's iconic business brands at a competitive disadvantage if UK ministers maintained their position.
"The first minister will be hoping Rishi Sunak can bring some pressure to bear on Alister Jack to see some sense." On Sunday, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack insisted the exclusion of glass remained a condition of their support.
'Not something unusual' The Scottish government wants to include glass bottles in its plans
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. But SNP deputy leader Keith Brown told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme that the scheme had been "sabotaged by the UK government."
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. He said: "The first minister will be hoping Rishi Sunak can bring some pressure to bear on Alister Jack to see some sense."
He added: "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."
Mr Brown accused the Scottish secretary of "scandalous" mis-representation for stating that the scheme would not be recycling glass, but crushing it and using it as aggregate for filling roads.
Circularity Scotland, the administrator of the scheme, said 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.
"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 positionIn 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 positionIn 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".
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 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. 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.
"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."
In his letter to the prime minister, Mr Yousaf cited concerns raised by C&C Group - one of the country's biggest brewers and the company behind Tennent's Lager.
'Dog's dinner''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 correspondence Mr Jack received from the firm, seen by the BBC, the company said it had been "misrepresented" in passages from the letter that appeared in the media.
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".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. Keith Brown denied any knowledge of C&C's letter being leaked to the media.
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. He said: "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.
"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 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." Scottish Conservative MSP Maurice Golden said the Scottish government had "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".
Related TopicsRelated Topics
Scottish governmentScottish government
UK governmentUK government
RecyclingRecycling
Rishi SunakRishi Sunak
Humza YousafHumza Yousaf