The introduction of Scotland’s deposit return scheme (DRS) has been delayed by a year in order to allow businesses more time to prepare and provide flexibility amidst the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, the country’s environment secretary has confirmed.
Previously scheduled for 1 April 2021, Roseanna Cunningham has confirmed a ‘go-live’ date of 1 July 2022. The scheme will see a 20p deposit placed on drinks containers in a bid to increase recycling rates in Scotland, with the deposit being retrieved once the containers are returned.
Roseanna Cunningham said, “Our deposit return scheme will be the first national scheme of its type operating in the UK.
“Having listened to the views of stakeholders, I have agreed to extend the ‘go-live’ date from April 2021 to July 2022.
“This will give businesses more time to prepare their premises for the scheme and crucially, provides flexibility in the immediate term as the whole country prepares to deal with Covid-19 – the impact of which continues to be closely monitored.
“One very important way of achieving our climate targets is in tackling throw-away culture and building a circular economy where our resources are kept in use for as long as possible, and our deposit return scheme is just one part of this.”
