UK ministers reject deposit return scheme glass rethink

UK ministers person rejected Humza Yousaf's petition for them to rethink their determination to exclude solid from Scotland's deposit instrumentality scheme.

The archetypal curate wrote to Rishi Sunak informing that the strategy would beryllium successful "grave danger" without solid included.

The UK authorities has replied saying it had fixed the Scottish authorities a "practical solution to proceed" with cans and integrative bottles only.

A Scottish furniture determination connected whether to spell up is expected connected Tuesday.

Last week, the UK authorities approved a partial exemption to the Internal Market Act for the deposit scheme, but stipulated solid could not beryllium portion of it.

The steadfast acceptable up to tally deposit return, Circularity Scotland, said the strategy is inactive viable without glass.

England, Wales and Northern Ireland primitively consulted connected a strategy that would see glass.

The Welsh authorities inactive wants to bash that but the UK authorities has changed its mind.

Mr Yousaf said helium "would conflict to spot however the strategy could spell up if it doesn't see glass" and formally asked the UK authorities for a rethink.

Replying for the premier minister, furniture ministers Michael Gove, Alister Jack and Therese Coffey said they privation to marque definite that immoderate Scottish strategy works successful the aforesaid mode arsenic what's being planned for the remainder of the UK.

In their missive to Mr Yousaf, the UK ministers said: "Interoperability of schemes crossed the full UK ensures each manufacturers, whether successful Clydebank, Carlisle, Cardiff, oregon Carrickfergus, person the aforesaid entree to merchantability their products crossed the UK interior market.

"The exclusion of solid besides ensures user prime is not restricted successful Scotland, fixed the hazard that differences successful scope would person led to immoderate producers choosing not to proviso Scotland done online oregon carnal sales.

"There is thing to forestall you from proceeding with your ain strategy adjacent March, connected the ground that it would signifier portion of a UK-wide solution to support our shared marketplace and summation recycling from 2025."

Mr Yousaf has already said helium would not enactment Scottish businesses astatine a competitory disadvantage.

That's what the brewer down Tennent's lager, C&C radical has warned would hap to their canned merchandise if deposit charges are not besides applied to solid bottles.

C&C has expressed a penchant for a UK-wide attack to deposit return.

If it goes unrecorded arsenic planned successful March 2024, the deposit instrumentality strategy would spot a 20p complaint placed connected drinks containers which would beryllium refunded to consumers upon their instrumentality successful a bid to summation recycling levels.

Circularity Scotland said a people of 90% for the remelting and reuse of solid would emergence to 95% erstwhile the strategy was launched.

Circularity Scotland's programme director, Donald McCalman told the BBC "we perfectly judge the strategy is viable to launch" with aluminium and integrative containers only.

Mr McCalman said that if it was not delivered successful Scotland it could marque drinks producers deliberation doubly astir backing a aboriginal UK-wide scheme.