In a statement issued on 18 November, deputy first minister and cabinet secretary for climate change and rural affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, said that the country was “not able to proceed with the joint process at this point”.
The previous UK Government said that a DRS programme would be introduced by October 2027, although the new Labour administration has indicated that it would like to bring that date forward.
Throughout the process there have been several disagreements between politicians and industry figures across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland over the structure of the scheme and whether glass should be included.
“In partnership with the UK and Devolved Governments, we have been working to initiate a joint process to appoint the Deposit Management Organisation for our respective schemes later this month,” Irranca-Davies said.
“However, in the time available it has not been possible to address the issues to the operation of devolution caused by the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020, inherited by the UK Government from the previous administration.”
Wales to create independent DRS
Despite withdrawing the from the UK-wide DRS, Irranca-Davies explained that the Welsh Government remained commitment to implementing a scheme that will deliver for Wales and support its transition to a circular economy.
“Our active engagement with industry has highlighted that there are currently a range of views on how best to achieve the transition to reuse,” he continued.
“We will therefore continue our active engagement to develop a scheme that supports the transition to reuse for all drinks containers including those made from glass. In doing so we will also continue to draw from international best practice.”
Finally, Irranca-Davies said that work on the implementation of DRS would be conducted alongside efforts to continue improving recycling rates, which have increased in Wales over the past year.
Shortly after the Welsh Government's decision was made public, a spokesperson for the UK Government confirmed that it remains committed to delivering a DRS across England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
“We will continue to work collaboratively with the Devolved Governments and industry to ensure our scheme works for businesses and consumers, while creating thousands of green jobs, driving investment into new infrastructure and moving towards a circular economy," the spokesperson said.
Welsh Government was ‘frustrated’
Reacting to the announcement, UK and Ireland Director at circular economy consultancy Reloop, Jenni Hume, said that the organisation has long supported the Welsh Government’s ambition to create a DRS programme that includes glass and reuse.
“We understand the complexities facing the Welsh Government and frustrations that the UK Government would not work with the Welsh Government to achieve this,” Hume added.
“It is now up to Defra, Daera, Scottish Government and industry to ensure that the DRS moves along at pace for England, Northern Ireland and Scotland with no further delays. We also hope to see clarity and tight timelines from Welsh Government imminently.”
Jane Martin, CEO of not-for-profit City to Sea, called on the UK Government to include glass in order to stop the scheme from "crumbling all together”.
“The Deposit Return Scheme is turning into utter chaos," said Martin.
"After flip flopping around on whether glass should be included, we have now successfully lost the entire Welsh nation. A DRS which includes glass, plastic and aluminium is not a contentious issue amongst the public, with recent data showing that 77 percent agree the government should introduce an 'all in' system. It now just seems to be policymakers who can’t agree on that view."
Meanwhile, British Soft Drinks Association director general Gavin Partington criticised the Welsh Government's decision and said that the move "undermines efforts to deliver an aligned Deposit Return Scheme across the UK and help the move towards a circular economy".
"We remain committed to a DRS for cans and PET delivered by October 2027 and will continue to work with Governments to achieve this," Partington concluded.
The Natural Source Waters Association also expressed disappointment with the move: "This decision will significantly weaken the impact of the introduction of DRS on tackling litter and promoting a circular economy, both across the UK and in Wales.
"It will create cross border issues for the scheme: confusion and frustration among consumers, the risk of fraud, and uncertainty for producers and retailers. The NSWA remains committed to a DRS for cans and PET plastic bottles established by October 2027 and will continue to work with Governments to achieve this."
In other news, a man has been arrested as part of an investigation into potentially fraudulent activity on farms.
