First Minister Humza Yousaf has written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urging him to revoke the UK Government’s rejection of glass in Scotland’s deposit return scheme by the end of today (5 June).
The First Minister said the UK Government’s demands, including the removal of glass from DRS, would impact the environment, detrimentally affect businesses based in Scotland and threaten the viability of the scheme.
Yousaf wrote: “We cannot – and will not – put Scottish businesses at a competitive disadvantage by the UK government’s eleventh-hour changes to the range of materials included, impacting Scottish jobs, inward investment and potentially reducing choice for consumers in Scotland.”
He added: “There is little doubt your government’s action have put the future of DRS in grave danger not only in Scotland but also in the rest of the UK due to the damage to consumer and investor confidence.
“I would be grateful for a reply by close on 5 June to enable my cabinet to consider the matter and the Scottish Parliament to be updated thereafter.”
In response, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack told BBC’s Sunday Show that removing glass from the scheme “makes sense” because it’s what industry has “asked us to do”.
He added: “I haven’t had a single letter supporting the proposed scheme that [Green minister] Lorna Slater has brought forward, whereas I have had over 1,000 letters of concern, and it’s those concerns that we have taken into account when we’ve come to our conclusion.”
