Robin Stevenson, Managing Director at Hamilton Waste & Recycling shared his thoughts on the Deposit Return Scheme in Scotland.
Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). We must find better ways of working together to ensure we don’t end up with a system that isn’t fit for purpose, or worse still is damaging to the way we manage valuable resources.
Living in Scotland I recognise that decentralisation can have many merits. However if we find ourselves in a situation where all the nations are managing these resources differently then it is going to make them harder and more expensive to manage. The drinks industry has widely condemned this inconsistency, and it is easy to see why. l suspect that DRS could be the final nail in the coffin for some smaller manufactures.
There is no doubt that DRS will have an impact on the recycling sector too. Many waste companies already collect drink containers via dedicated recycling rounds where the material is fully recycled. The value in these materials helps support the collection & recycling of other lower value materials. If that value is lost, then operators may have to stop collecting these materials and they will find their way back into the general waste. This would mean landfill or EfW and not being recycled.
Rather than launching something completely new, at huge cost, we should look to improve what we already have. The regulations already require businesses to segregate glass, cans and plastic bottles from their general waste and employ companies such as Hamilton Waste & Recycling Ltd to collect them for recycling. There is so much more that could be done in enforcing these regulations which would significantly increase recycling rates almost overnight.
With household waste, councils continue to improve kerbside collections, such as those introduced by East Lothian Council. Ensuring LA’s (and recycling operators) retain access to these materials will help secure jobs which currently look under threat. It’s no surprise that some LA’s are looking at removing collections for these waste streams due to the increased costs, Falkirk being the first to act. LA’s are already under pressure to cut costs so running a service for a reducing material stream makes limited business sense. If these services are removed then non-target recyclables will end up in people’s waste bins.
It will be ‘interesting’ to see how DRS fairs. Will the 20p rebate really change the behaviour of the nation & see them packing a bag to head to local Reverse Vending Machines?. One thing for certain is that the changes in Scottish politics are going to provide an opportunity to bring about change for those believing DRS is at best poorly structured and worst damaging to Scotland’s environmental ambitions. I’d urge those of us that want to see change to come together and seize the opportunity that our imminent change of leadership has presented.
As we edge closer to the anticipated launch of DRS in Scotland (August 2023), we are seeing lots of questions and concerns from not only those in the waste and resource management industry, but retailers and hospitality managers. What do you think about the scheme and do you have concerns how it will affect your business? Let us know in the comments or submit a guest blog to Rubbish Talk!