Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee 27 May 2025
Thank you, convener, for the opportunity to discuss these two instruments, both of which were laid in Parliament on 2 May. The Government has been committed to the introduction of a deposit return scheme since 2019 in order to promote and secure an increase in recycling of materials by applying a deposit to single-use drinks containers.
Since a DRS in Scotland was delayed in June 2023, we have worked with industry, stakeholders, the UK Government and other devolved Governments to agree the principles of a DRS that will operate compatibly. That work culminated in the publication of a joint policy paper in April 2024, which set out the broad design of the schemes that had been agreed with industry and between all Governments at the time.
The Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Amendment Regulations 2025 amend the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations 2020. The 2025 regulations alter the implementation date for Scotland’s DRS to October 2027, remove glass from the scope of the scheme and make other amendments to support the operation of our DRS in an interoperable way with other nations.
The order designates the UK Deposit Management Organisation as the scheme administrator to operate a DRS in Scotland. That follows an open application process and a joint assessment alongside the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. It also confers functions on that body as the scheme administrator. The organisation will also operate the scheme in England and Northern Ireland.
Once the DRS scheme administrator is formally designated, subject to Parliament’s approval, it will begin the process of implementing a DRS on behalf of industry.
Together, the instruments provide the legislative framework for a DRS in Scotland, ensuring that the schemes in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland can operate seamlessly with each other and launch jointly on 1 October 2027.
The DRS forms part of the Scottish Government’s response to the global climate emergency by ensuring that plastic and metal drinks containers are kept out of our bins and off our streets and instead are recycled for future use, bringing both environmental and economic benefits.
We will continue to engage constructively with industry and with the other nations across the UK to support the successful delivery of our DRS in 2027, joining the other 50-plus deposit return schemes in operation over the world.
I look forward to our discussion.