A survey commissioned by the glass sector trade association British Glass found that 61% of people think that Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) should be paused in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
British Glass CEO Dave Dalton
The survey was carried out on 503 participants ahead of a vote by the Scottish Parliament on the proposals later today.
The survey found that 42% strongly supported delaying the proposals, with 38% strongly believing they should go ahead. 32% of respondents said they have never heard of a DRS.
The survey was conducted by Toluna on behalf of British Glass, and assessed whether householders feel legislation should be delayed or paused.
Pause
British Glass CEO Dave Dalton said: “We believe strongly the Scottish Government should pause the regulations until the full impact of Covid-19 and its consequences on the drinks supply chain and local authorities are able to be evaluated.
“Now is not the time to push this through as we see huge shifts in the volumes of household recycling, as we as the lack of material available from the hospitality sector and pressures on local authority recycling services.”
British Glass represents more than 70 organisations and says it aims to “communicate the glass sector’s value and interests nationally and internationally as well as fostering the innovation and collaboration to secure a sustainable future for glass”.
All in
The proposals will go before the Scottish Parliament today
Scotland has chosen to implement an ‘all-in” model which covers PET plastic drinks bottles, aluminium and steel cans and glass bottles with a flat deposit of 20p.
In March, the Scottish government decided to delay by more than a year the implementation of the scheme until July 2022, to allow retailers ‘”more time” due to the outbreak (see letsrecycle story).
The Scottish government said that this delay would ensure a “successful scheme from day one”.
However, British Glass are among many bodies which have expressed concern over the Scottish government’s proposals, warning last year that it would lead to increase plastic use. The body also issued an appeal last year urging the government to delay the plans (see letsrecycle.com story).
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Source: letsrecycle.com Plastic
