A bottle reverse vending machine in a supermarket in Germany. Photo: Donald Trung
The flagship policy is the first in the UK. Shoppers will pay a 20p levy on single-use plastic, metal or glass drinks containers, reimbursable when they take the containers to a recycling point. The scheme was due to be introduced this month, but has been pushed back to 16th August 2023.
Environmental groups are concerned about the delay and the lack of information about the scheme. They call on the Scottish Government to launch a public awareness campaign.
Friends of the Earth Scotland said “We must change the way we use materials to drastically reduce the impact of our consumption. Across Europe, deposit return schemes are well established, successful and popular. They have a direct impact on the climate by reducing the need for new materials, and they help reduce plastic pollution at the same time.”
To find out more about how deposit return schemes work, and why it is taking so long to get Scotland’s up and running, compared to other European countries, see this article.