VIDEO REPORT: The Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro) has accused the Scottish government of “burying its head in the sand” over its proposals for a deposit return system with a 20p flat fee.
An ‘all in’ system with a flat 20p fee for all beverage containers was passed by Scotland’s Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee yesterday (April 29) which means a vote before Scottish Parliament will take place later this year.
If there are no delays to its implementation, the system will go ahead in 2022.
Below you can see Rick Hindley, executive director at Alupro, speak with Joshua Doherty at letsrecycle.com after the vote.
Plastic
Alupro has argued that a flat fee would see the use of plastic bottles rise sharply.
It uses the scenario that customers will be charged an additional £4.80 upfront for a 24-can multipack, while only 80 pence for the same volume of drink packed in four large plastic bottles.
“In this scenario, independent research suggests that two thirds of consumers would be likely to opt for larger plastic alternatives, resulting in the unnecessary production of c.82 m additional plastic bottles,” the organisation said.
The group says it is supportive of a well–designed deposit return system, and says the fee should be based on the volume of container, as is the case in Nordic countries, so that a 330 mill can wouldn’t be the same price as a 1.5 litre bottle.
Vote
The proposals were voted through by the committee, with three Scottish National Party members passing the legislation, and the two Conservative members rejecting them.
“The idea of a flat deposit fee is short sighted at best”
The one Green Party MSP, not satisfied with the delay in implementing the scheme, abstained, as did the Labour MSP. The cabinet secretary said the scheme would be subject to a review and Alupro hopes the variable deposit could be part of that.
If the voting follows that of the Committee, the regulations will pass.
Rick Hindley, executive director at Alupro, said: “While we are obviously disappointed that the scheme has been voted through in its current format, we were hugely encouraged by the clear concerns raised again by the Committee regarding the adverse impact of rolling-out a flat 20p deposit fee.
“We believe that the Scottish Government has buried its head in the sand with the proposed DRS, by failing to consider the valuable views of its constituents, its own Environment Committee and the packaging industry as a whole. With the real threat of unintended environmental and economic consequences, which could undermine the benefits of a well-designed scheme, the idea of a flat deposit fee is short sighted at best.”
The post Alupro criticises Scottish DRS flat fee appeared first on letsrecycle.com.
Source: letsrecycle.com Packaging
