Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Please enter at least 3 characters.
Latest Stories

Sunak being urged to intervene to save Scottish deposit return scheme

Sunak being urged to intervene to save Scottish deposit return scheme
(Photo by Stefan Rousseau - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Getty Images

Prime minister Rishi Sunak is being urged to directly intervene to save Scotland's deposit return scheme amid reports that it could be axed later this month if UK ministers do not give the go-ahead.

Lorna Slater said if an exemption from the Internal Market Act was not confirmed then the Scottish government would have to decide on its future. The BBC states that it understands UK ministers are unlikely to reach an early decision.


Slater told the Scottish Grocers' Federation that a lack of response could render the scheme "unviable". She said she was still working closely with the UK government to make the launch happen.

A UK government spokesman said it received a formal request for an exemption on 6 March, with the Scottish government having since paused the scheme until March of next year.

"It therefore hasn't been possible yet for us to fully assess the impacts of the exclusion request on cross-UK trade, firms and consumers," BBC quoted the spokesperson as saying.

"We will continue to engage with the Scottish government to realise our shared ambition to improve the environment while meeting the needs of consumers and businesses across the UK."

Meanwhile, groups such as Greenpeace UK, Keep Britain Tidy and the Marine Conservation Society have signed an open letter to Sunak, demanding the UK government grants an exemption for DRS in Scotland under the Internal Market Act – which regulates trade in the different parts of the UK following Brexit.

The exemption is needed as the scheme in Scotland is due to begin in March 2024, ahead of similar initiatives in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The letter, which has also been signed by the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland, Friends of the Earth Scotland, WWF Scotland, Keep Scotland Beautiful, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful and Keep Wales Tidy, also calls on Sunak to include glass bottles in the DRS schemes planned for England and Northern Ireland.

“The rollout of deposit return in Scotland in March 2024 will require an Internal Market Act exemption which we know is under discussion across Whitehall. Such an exemption will protect the substantial investment industry has already made in Scotland and ensure we start to see the environmental benefits as soon as possible," states the letter, adding that Scotland launching a DRS first could be “actively beneficial for England, Wales and Northern Ireland”, where the initiative is not due to come in until 2025.

“There remains one key obstacle to a truly UK-wide approach to the litter problem. While Wales and Scotland intend to include glass drinks bottles, as things stand glass is excluded for England and Northern Ireland.

“If this remains the case, it would either undermine the long-term interoperability of the various systems, or cost English businesses more, unnecessarily, when glass is subsequently brought in, as happened in Finland in 2011 and elsewhere.

“We would therefore urge you to intervene and bring forward a straightforward solution to this problem by including glass on the same basis as Scotland and Wales, alongside the Internal Market Act exemption for the Scottish system.”

The DRS in Scotland was delayed after Humza Yousaf was installed as First Minister.

The scheme will see shoppers north of the border charged a 20p deposit every time they buy a drink in a can or a glass or plastic bottle, with that cash given back to them when the empty containers are returned for recycling. It had been due to come into force in August, but its launch date has now been pushed back to March 2024.

More for you

iStock 1432775123
iStock image
iStock image

'Consumers optimistic about spending in 2025; savvy shoppers to look for better deals'

The majority of UK households are heading into 2025 feeling financially secure, but more people think the health of the economy is worsening than improving, a recent report has shown.According to KPMG UK’s Consumer Pulse survey, nearly three times more people feel secure (fifty-seven percent) than insecure (twenty-one percent) about their financial situation.

While the picture for financial security is largely positive, consumer opinion regarding the health of the UK economy was more mixed – with four in ten consumers saying the economy is worsening, compared to a quarter saying it’s improving.

Pessimism about the UK economy is highest among two-thirds of those aged sixty-five and over, with those aged 25-34 the most optimistic. Regionally, London is the most upbeat, with the North East the most downbeat about the economy.

Keep ReadingShow less
vapes
Vape products are displayed for sale on October 27, 2024 in London, England
Photo by Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images

Scottish Greens call for ‘robust licensing system’ for tobacco and vapes

The Scottish Government has been urged to introduce a robust licensing system for vape and tobacco sales as part of its regulatory strategy.

Currently, retailers in Scotland are only required to register to sell tobacco and vaping products, with no licensing fees and limited enforcement mechanisms.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Totally Wicked store

Totally Wicked store at its head office in Blackburn

Photo: Totally Wicked

Totally Wicked profits more than double on back of disposable vapes

Vaping firm Totally Wicked has reported a pre-tax profit of £8.1 million for the financial year ending March 31, 2024, more than doubling its previous year’s profit of £3.3 million.

The Lancashire-based company said the “continuing growth” of single use vapes, particularly in convenience and grocery channels, has been a “disproportionate driver” of the strong growth, with turnover also surging to £118.1 million, up from £90.4 million the prior year and £54.4 million in 2022, according to its latest filing to the Companies House.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lidl
Photo: Lidl GB

Lidl sales exceed £1bn for first time in run-up to Christmas

Lidl said its sales exceeded £1billion in the four weeks up to 24 December for the first time, as the discounter celebrated its most successful Christmas yet.

Lidl added that it increased its British supply base by 20 per cent this holiday season, stocking its shelves with locally-sourced festive favourites at the lowest prices. Over 16 million British pigs in blankets were sold, including new Deluxe flavours such as maple, cheese, and cranberry. British turkeys proved again to be the festive staple, with one sold every second, while three quarters of a roasting joints were enjoyed across the country.

Keep ReadingShow less
Robot delivery scheme, Robot delivery, Co-op’s robot delivery service, Co-op’s revolutionary robot delivery scheme
(Photo by Darren Staples/Getty Images)
Getty Images

Co-op to open 75 new stores in 2025

Co-op today (2) revealed its commitment to continued convenience growth with a planned 75 new stores opening this year across the UK.

The new stores will be both Co-op estate stores and Co-op franchise stores, a sector the convenience retailer has actively pursued recently with strong growth.

Keep ReadingShow less