Tayside businesses have raised concerns over the future of the deposit return scheme after it was delayed to 2025 at the earliest.
It had already been pushed back from August 2023 to March 2024, following a ruling from the UK Government that glass bottles cannot be included in it.
The scheme would see consumers pay a 20p deposit every time they buy a drink in a can or plastic bottle, with that refunded when the empty containers are returned to recycling points.
Many businesses are supportive of the principle but feel it has been executed poorly.
William Duncan, who runs Carnoustie Distillery, believes his company has spent up to £1,500 on preparing for the scheme.
It had to print new labels and binned the old ones that were in stock, but the delay of the scheme means the labels that could have been used are now wasted.
He said: “It’s a good idea in principle but I didn’t think it was thought through enough.
“The small distillers, we’re getting hammered at every side at the moment so it was one more nail in the coffin, so to speak.
“With the return scheme happening, we had to get new labels printed and the old labels, which we had thousands of, were binned.
“Then it was put on hold so we could have used old labels but we actually binned them all. It was a little frustrating because we’re a small distillery. It’s quite hard at the moment.”
The company has a bottle return policy, where money is given back for used bottles, and is planning a bottle for life scheme with refills.
Mr Duncan said: “When people buy, say, a bottle from us for £20 or £25 or £30, we don’t sell thousands of bottles.
“You don’t find any of our bottles lying on the beach or lying about.
“Generally the bottles are returned to us or put in a recycle bin, that sort of thing.
“In my opinion, the small distilleries are not the issues at hand.
“The bottle banks at Tesco and Asda where you scan your bottle in, that’s a really good idea.
“I think that’s probably our way forward, but I think it has to be done with more understanding for the smaller distilleries.
“In principle it was a good idea, it was just done wrong. There wasn’t enough consultation.”
Emmett McCool, Dundee Gin Company director, said: “We’ve initially paid money into the scheme and we’re not likely to see it back and with it being delayed we’re a bit concerned about what it’s going to look like moving forward and how it’s going to work.
“Tell us exactly why we’re doing it, how we’re doing it and what’s the clear costs of everything.”
The company already recycles its glass and plastic packaging, claiming to be 100% sustainable.
Ryan Russell, who runs Doorstep Glass Recycling, is concerned about the scheme’s impact on the environment and small businesses, as well as issues surrounding consumer behaviour, mobility and convenience.
The company charges £5 a month to collect and recycle glass.
While Mr Russell believes a glass return scheme has the potential to encourage recycling and reduce waste, he thinks it is “not fit for purpose” in its current format.
He has concerns about the collection point design, saying: “Our customer base is made up of elderly people with mobility issues who feel left behind by the scheme.
“We have an ageing population so it’s not a small amount of people.
“It’s about convenience too.
“I have three young kids. It’s busy, there’s loads going on.
“A huge amount of people bin glass in black bins and local authorities are cracking down on the issue and issuing notices.”
He believes his company could be the alternative to the deposit return scheme as it offers convenient doorstep collections.
Mr Russell said: “They need to look at the other options there.
“We started this business in Dundee because there was no glass collection.
“We are the perfect solution.”
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