Glass bottle returns sparks Wales-UK ministers row

The Welsh government wants to include glass bottles in its deposit return scheme.

Welsh ministers have accused the UK government of trying to water down a flagship recycling scheme for bottles and cans.

Roll out of deposit return schemes (DRS) across the UK has been further delayed from 2025 to 2027.

Under the plans people would be offered cash or vouchers for returning empty drinks containers to be recycled.

The Welsh government wants to include glass in its version, but the UK government said that would cause "undue complexity for the drinks industry".

All four UK nations have been working together to try and agree a joint approach to the schemes, with public consultations in 2019 and 2021.

UK environment minister Robbie Moore announced on Thursday it had been decided they would not now be brought in until 2027 to allow more time for the industries involved to prepare.

The Welsh government's intention to include glass was "an outstanding issue", he said.

The other nations had now agreed to limit their plans to plastic bottles, steel and aluminium cans.

It follows a row over the Scottish government's hopes of including glass in its DRS, which the UK government blocked using post-Brexit legislation called the Internal Market Act.

Including glass would be problematic for the drinks industry and increase storage and handling costs for retailers, Mr Moore claimed.

"Glass containers are heavy and fragile, making them more difficult for consumers to return and receive the deposit they have paid, potentially forcing up the cost of their shopping," he said.

Mr Moore said conversations with Welsh government would continue - "but if their position does not change, we will reiterate the duty to protect the UK internal market".

There were "no plans to exclude any DRS from the UK Internal Market Act", he added, to ensure "maximum possible alignment and interoperability across the UK to protect businesses and consumers".

A small fee or deposit would be charged on drinks containers, which would be refunded when they are returned.

Wales' climate change secretary Huw Irranca-Davies described the comments as a "threat", claiming the UK government wanted to "restrict our ability to go further and impose a watered-down DRS on Wales".

"Delivering different schemes that are responsive to the different contexts in our respective nations is eminently feasible," he said, arguing that there were international examples of varying approaches to DRS within a single market.

Wales' already high recycling rates put the country "in a different position", he argued - "necessitating a more ambitious approach".

Including glass was a matter of "when, not if", and Wales was prepared to plough ahead and "provide invaluable learning for our neighbouring countries,” he said.

Richard Naisby, chair of the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) said to make a DRS work "we need one scheme that is introduced with the same materials, the same rules and on the same day across the UK".

"Today's announcement means that small businesses in Wales will be penalised by the political failure to agree the same materials, with Wales the only nation to include glass".

But environment groups urged others to follow Wales' lead.

"For our ocean’s sake, we can’t keep kicking the can – or bottle – down the road," said Marine Conservation Society chief executive Sandy Luk.

"We call on the UK government to speed up this law and to follow Wales’s ambition to include plastic, metal and glass.”

Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said the charity was "pleased to see that Wales look determined to pursue their best-in class scheme and encourage the rest of the UK to follow suit."