Responding to the Welsh Government's latest communication
confirming the inclusion of glass in a separate Deposit Return
Scheme and referencing an industry-led reuse
trial, the British Retail Consortium, British Soft
Drinks Association, and Natural Source Water Association
said:
“Together, we stood ready to partner with the Welsh Government to
trailblaze a robust, evidence-led shift to glass reuse –
potentially forging a pathway for the UK's wider circular economy
ambitions.
“Following months of intensive engagement, retailers and
producers put forward a first-of-its-kind glass reuse pilot,
facilitated by the UK DRS DMO Ltd. This offered a practical route
to avoid the significant cost and complexity of propping up a
return-to-retail model for single use glass in one nation whilst
also establishing a DRS for plastic and metal containers.
“Unfortunately, our offer was not accepted. Whilst we welcome the
Welsh Government's intention to align timelines with the rest of
the UK on plastic bottles and aluminium cans, we cannot support
the impractical intention to include glass bottles from day one.
“The decision to include single use glass at scale within the
Welsh DRS makes a reuse trial unviable. Industry simply cannot
justify investing in innovation while also absorbing the high,
sunken costs of a legacy system that is unlikely to improve glass
recycling rates. There is also a real risk that the costs of
packaging in glass skyrockets, forcing producers to bottle in
other materials, making glass reuse harder, not easier, to
deliver. Regrettably the recent guidance from the Welsh
Government provides no clarity on how these problems can be
overcome.
“We remain committed to working with the Welsh Government on a
solution that delivers for the people of Wales – including a
large-scale reuse trial – as part of a realistic UK-wide deposit
return scheme.”
