Strings Attached

Scottish ministers have hit out at the UK Government 's decision to exclude glass from a pilot recycling scheme.

Glass bottles were a key part of Scottish proposals for The Deposit return scheme (DRS), due to start in March.

The UK Government agreed for the scheme to go ahead in Scotland, But said it wanted to ensure it aligned with similar plans in other UK nations.

The Move casts doubt over whether the Scottish scheme can go ahead.

Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater accused the UK Government of " sabotage".

Bbc Scotland 's political editor Glenn Campbell said one source closely involved in The Deposit return scheme (DRS) had put the chances of it going ahead at 50/50.

The Scottish Government is expected to take a couple of weeks to crunch the numbers before making a decision.

The DRS is aimed at increasing The Number of single-use drinks bottles and cans that are recycled.

It means 20p will be added to The Price of a single-use drinks container, which will be refunded to people who return it to a retailer or hospitality premises that offer single-use products.

Ms Slater said she would talk to businesses, delivery partners and other organisations over The Coming days and weeks.

She Said the UK's position showed " utter disregard for devolution".

The DRS was due to begin in August But was delayed following concerns from the drinks industry.

Some firms feared it would place extra costs and other burdens on them at a time when they are already struggling.

Small producers such as craft breweries said they were not against the idea in Principle - But warned that the timetable and details of the DRS were problematic.

Because similar UK initiatives are not expected until 2025, Scottish ministers had sought an exemption from internal market rules to allow the DRS to go ahead.

The Internal Market Act was brought in after Brexit in a bid to ensure smooth trade across the different nations of the UK.

There had been concerns that the timing of a Scottish scheme could create a trade barrier.

First Minister Humza Yousaf said UK ministers had " demanded" the exemption in a letter sent on Friday Night .

He Said : " That's your respect agenda For You right there. "

On Saturday Morning the UK Government confirmed it had accepted the Scottish Government 's request " on a temporary and limited basis".

The scheme will cover PET plastic, aluminium, and steel cans only.

A UK Government spokesperson said: " The drinks industry has raised concerns about the Scottish Government 's deposit return scheme differing from plans in the rest of the UK, resulting in the Scottish Government reviewing and pausing their scheme earlier this year.

" Deposit return schemes need to be consistent across the UK and this is The Best way to provide a simple and effective system.

" A system with the same rules for the whole UK will increase recycling collection rates and reduce litter - as well as minimise disruption to the drinks industry and ensure simplicity for consumers. "

The temporary exclusion will cover the period from The Launch of the Scottish scheme until planned schemes are in place in the rest of the UK.

Mr Yousaf previously claimed it would be a " democratic outrage" for the UK Government to agree to the DRS excluding glass.

Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater , who had been driving the introduction of the DRS, said the Scottish Parliament had been " treated with contempt".

The decision to exclude glass meant she would have to look " very seriously" at the viability of the Scottish scheme, She Said .

She added: " Despite discussions over The Last two years this is an Eleventh Hour attempt by the UK Government to sabotage Scotland's deposit return scheme by forcing us to remove glass bottles.

" This is at odds with all The Evidence that says the biggest benefits, economically, financially and environmentally, are from including glass.

" Removing glass also means taking out around 600 million bottles that would have been collected by the scheme, despite businesses in Scotland having invested millions of pounds in preparation to include them.

" Many of these bottles will unnecessarily end up as Broken Glass on our streets, our parks and our beaches. "

For it to work effectively, the Scottish deposit return scheme needs an exemption from The Rules of the UK internal market act.

The Scottish Government has asked for that and - on The Face of it - their request has now been granted by the UK Government . So What 's The Problem ?

There are Strings Attached . A tangle of conditions including the exclusion of glass that make the Scottish Government wonder whether their proposals are still viable.

UK ministers will argue they are acting on a practical basis, to ensure any Scottish scheme aligns with future developments in other parts of the UK.

There are certainly businesses that welcome their intervention and others that may have an axe to grind against Government at some level, having shelled out to prepare for a scheme that would include glass.

To Scottish ministers this is a Power Play by the UK Government - an outrageous interference in devolved decision making akin to The Block on gender reform legislation and resistance to indyref2.

In light of the UK Government 's stance, The British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) said the " only viable option now" was for a UK-wide initiative to be launched across all four nations in 2025.

Gavin Pennington, of the BSDA, said its members had " long supported the introduction of an industry-led, interoperable DRS run on a not-for-profit basis to help support a circular economy, reducing litter and increasing recycling".

He stated: " Our members have made significant investments of money, resource and time since 2019 to prepare for The Launch of DRS Scotland.

" However, given The Level of political uncertainty currently surrounding DRS Scotland, surely the only viable option now is for all stakeholders to commit to launching DRS across the UK on the same timeframe, October 2025. "

Source of news: bbc.com