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.”
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