Circularity Scotland not informed in advance of deposit return scheme delay

The organisation which will run the planned deposit return scheme (DRS) was not informed in advance of the First Minister’s decision to delay it.

Donald McCalman, programme director for Circularity Scotland, said the delay came because not enough firms are ready to deliver the “fantastic consumer experience” needed.

On Tuesday, Humza Yousaf delayed the introduction of the DRS from this August to March next year.

He acknowledged the scheme had led to concern among many in the business community and said the UK Government’s decision not to grant an exemption under the Internal Market Act had caused uncertainty.

The DRS will mean customers pay a 20p deposit on drinks in cans and bottles which will be paid back when the containers are returned.

On Thursday, Mr McCalman spoke to the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland radio programme.

Asked when he found out about the delay, he said it was “the same time as everybody else” on Tuesday.

Circularity Scotland is a not-for-profit company set up to administer the scheme and will be responsible for its smooth operation, with Biffa handling logistics.

Mr McCalman stressed the importance of consumers having a simple experience when the DRS launches, saying: “As far as I can understand from what the First Minister has said on Tuesday, not enough organisations are going to be ready to have that fantastic consumer experience.

“Some of that possibly caused by, as he said, some of the uncertainties that still exist.

“Uncertainty causes some businesses to say ‘you know what, maybe I need to start thinking differently about how I’m deploying my resources’.

“That’s entirely up to those organisations to take that view.”