Tory MSP says deposit return scheme may go forward with glass included
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Scottish Conservative MSP has stated Scotland’s deposit return scheme (DRS) may go forward with glass included, so long as it complied with the inner markets act.
On Friday night, UK Government ministers wrote to First Minister Humza Yousaf and informed him that to ensure that it to permit the scheme to proceed, it could actually solely embrace PET plastic bottles, and aluminium and metal cans.
But on Monday morning, North East Scotland Conservative MSP Maurice Golden informed the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland that the scheme may go forward with glass included.
“The UK Government can’t impose a decision,” he stated.
“The Scottish Government could decide, irrespective of the internal market act, to roll out the deposit return scheme as had been originally planned.”
He was requested if this may be with glass included.
“With glass in it if they so wished, it would need to comply with the internal market act but it could be rolled out, yes.”
But Mr Golden stated he had “severe concerns” that the Scottish Government “aren’t able” to roll out “any deposit return scheme”.
“They’ve shown that consistently they are unable to deliver basic tenets of the scheme.
“Removing glass at this stage simplifies the scheme, perhaps builds more confidence in the scheme and allows us to salvage some form of launch.
“Given the Scottish government track record it is really concerning they can’t deliver an environmental policy such as this.”
The Welsh Government DRS will embrace glass and has been given the go-ahead by the UK Government however Mr Golden identified they haven’t utilized for an exemption beneath the UK inner markets act.
The Scottish Government may resolve, no matter the inner market act, to roll out the deposit return scheme as had been initially deliberate
Meanwhile, Dr Pete Cheema of the Scottish Grocers’ Federation stated its members had been put in a “precarious position” by the most recent developments.
He informed Good Morning Scotland that many grocers had already invested in reverse merchandising machines designed for glass, saying: “We’re going to be sitting with these machines that are of no use now because they’re not going to be able to take glass.
“So that means that we need compensation from the Scottish Government – who we’ve asked time and time again to sort out.
“Now what we don’t want is another trial in Scotland like the poll tax.”
On Sunday, the Scottish Government minister answerable for DRS, Lorna Slater, informed BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show Westminster was beginning to block the Scottish Government at “every turn”.
The Scottish Green MSP informed the BBC’s Sunday Show: “We should absolutely be using the powers of devolution to prevent waste and litter, to tackle environmental issues and social issues.
“That’s what it’s for.
“Westminster is starting to block us at every turn, on equalities issues, on environmental issues, this is a disastrous way forward and is disrespectful to Scotland.”