Alister Jack may be about to take another stand against reckless policy-making at Holyrood. According to reports, the Scottish Secretary may deny the Scottish government’s deposit return scheme (DRS) a trading exemption under the UK Internal Market Act (UKIMA). The DRS will see 20p added to every single-use packaged drink sold in Scotland, with consumers able to recoup the money by returning their used bottles and cans to retailers or reverse vending machines.
Any drinks producer that hasn’t signed up to the scheme by midnight tonight risks being unable to sell their products in Scotland. Drinks industry and retail bodies have protested a lack of information from scheme administrator Circularity Scotland and, while a last-minute £22 million has been made available to help small firms cope with the costs, some producers say they could go out of business.
Lorna Slater, the Scottish Greens’ co-leader and minister responsible for the DRS, remains defiant, refusing to delay the deadline.
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