Today (18th April) Scottish First Minister announced that there will
be a delay to the introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS),
as part of a speech on his priorities for government over the
next three years.
The Scottish Deposit Return Scheme was due to go live on
16th August but will now be delayed until
1stMarch 2024. England, Wales and Northern Ireland
have also announced plans for a Deposit Return Scheme, coming
into force in 2025.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “We are disappointed that
we’ve not been able to meet the timetable for DRS in Scotland,
but local shops will welcome the additional time to ensure that
the scheme can run as smoothly as possible when it is introduced
next March. Despite the delay, there will still be a 19-month
period where the scheme will be operating in Scotland but not in
the rest of the UK and this will cause issues, particularly for
wholesalers and smaller suppliers.
“It is important to remember that businesses at all levels of the
supply chain will need to commit to tackling the significant
operational challenges that the introduction of DRS will present,
in order for it to work effectively for businesses and consumers.
This is still a tight timetable but we will continue to engage
with the Scottish Government and support retailers with the
implementation of this scheme.”
The First Minister confirmed that the Scottish Government will be
working with businesses and Circularity Scotland to ensure that
the scheme is ready for March 2024.
In addition to the announcement on DRS, the First Minister also
confirmed that the Scottish Government will be taking a fresh
look at the proposals in the alcohol advertising consultation,
working with industry and public health representatives during
this process.
The full announcement is available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/new-leadership-fresh-start-scotland-first-ministers-speech-18-april-2023/
