Welsh charities urge the UK Government to approve the Welsh Government’s request to collect glass as part of its Deposit Return Scheme (DRS).
A coalition of Welsh environmental and charitable organisations has written to the UK Government urging it to approve an exclusion under the Internal Market Act (UKIM Act) that would allow Wales to collect glass in its DRS.
The Welsh Government confirmed plans to include glass as an in-scope material in its DRS at launch, but no deposit will be charged on any glass containers.
The schemes in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland cover PET plastic, steel, and aluminium drinks containers, but exclude glass.
Last year, the Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies announced that the Welsh Government had formally proposed an exclusion for the DRS in Wales to the UKIM Act.
He also said that if an exclusion is not granted, the Welsh Government will scrap its plans to launch a DRS in the country.
If Wales decided not to proceed with its scheme, it could have profound implications for DRS policy in the other UK nations. CEO of DDRS Alliance, Duncan Midwood, said such a move could result in the other countries’ schemes being scrapped.
The letter argues that the DRS follows the same model of devolved decision-making, allowing Wales to develop solutions that reflect its own environmental challenges and community needs.
Owen Derbyshire, Chief Executive of Keep Wales Tidy, commented: “People across Wales care deeply about the quality of their local environment.”
“A DRS that includes glass would make a real difference to litter levels, public safety and the condition of our public spaces.”
“Wales has taken a thoughtful, evidence-based approach to developing this policy, and it’s important that we are able to move forward as planned.”
The letter is supported by Keep Wales Tidy alongside Surfers Against Sewage, Trash Free Trails and Wales Environment Link.
A Defra spokesperson told Circular Online: “We are committed to delivering a Deposit Return Scheme which will go live in October 2027.”
“We have received the Welsh Government’s proposal for a UK Internal Market Act exclusion for their DRS, and now all parties to the Resources and Waste Common Framework are carefully considering this.”
Scotland’s DRS collapsed in 2023 after the then Conservative Government declined a request for full exclusion from the UKIM Act, which meant it could not include glass in its scheme.
Last year, Wales withdrew from developing an aligned DRS across the UK. Circular Online learned that the Welsh Government withdrew due to time constraints that prevented the UK Government from considering a request for an exclusion from the UKIM Act.