Scottish government accused of ‘bottling’ decision on drinks deposit scheme

By David Shrimpton in Industry News 18th November 2021

The NFRN has added its voice to criticism of the Scottish government for delaying the start of the country’s deposit return scheme (DRS) for drinks containers.

Following last week’s decision to put back the scheme, the NFRN’s national president, Narinder Randhawa, said: “The Scottish government has bottled a decision on DRS.

“[Circular economy minister] Lorna Slater announced she is still working on a timescale for the launch of DRS and will announce a date in due course.

“This is not very helpful to retailers, who need certainty if they are to plan how their businesses will handle the introduction of the scheme.”

The NFRN’s comments come after environmental campaign group Greenpeace said the delay to the scheme was “shocking” and would mean more plastic pollution.

The NFRN said it had been the first retail trade association to support the DRS, but was keen to get a scheme that worked for all retailers – large and small.