Alongside various other large organisations, The Scottish Wholesale Association (SWA) has raised concerns around the inclusion of glass in Scotland’s deposit return scheme in an open letter to cabinet secretary for environment, climate change and land reform, Roseanna Cunningham.
Sitting on the Implementation Advisory Group (IAG), the SWA has been working with the Scottish Government, Zero Waste Scotland and supply chain partners to try to deliver an effective DRS which increases recycling rates within Scotland and reduces the amount of waste in landfill.
Chief executive Colin Smith commented: “We have consistently opposed the inclusion of glass which adds costs, health and safety concerns and logistical complexity to the supply chain for a disproportionate benefit in terms of recycling rates.”
“If glass is included, wholesalers will see double the value of beverage containers they supply being captured by DRS. This will significantly increase cash flow issues with the deposits being paid out upfront for all soft drinks and alcohol while wholesalers importing wine and spirits will be particularly badly affected,” he added.
Smith also said that the inclusion of glass is just one of a range of concerns the SWA still has with the proposed DRS design and that a Scotland-only DRS will create a beverage trade border between Scotland and England leading to a restriction on free trade, a need for Scotland-only SKUs, increased warehousing, ICT changes and more complex trading logistics.
