Over 60 businesses from across the beverage, retail and hospitality industry have written to the Welsh government calling for an “urgent rethink” of plans to include glass in the country’s deposit return scheme.
The letter urges the Welsh government to “follow the evidence” and keep all glass packaging in an improved, consistent kerbside scheme, not a deposit return scheme (DRS) to help create a “truly circular economy”.
As it stands, Wales will be the only country in the UK to operate its DRS with glass in scope. The letter follows Climate Change Minister, Julie James, reiterating her ambition for Wales’ DRS to include glass.
The letter states that including glass only in Wales’ DRS may lead to certain beverage products no longer being sold across all UK nations, which could mean producers withdraw products from uneconomic markets or switch to plastic packaging.
The DRS could also jeopardise Wales’ world-leading recycling system, the letter argues. The letter also outlines businesses’ concerns that including glass in the scheme will lead to negative consequences for industry, consumers and the environment before calling for glass to be recycled through a system of extended producer responsibility (EPR) and consistent household collections.
Including glass in Wales’ DRS will create confusion and inevitable fractures of trading activity.
The letter reads: “Including glass in Wales’ DRS will create confusion and inevitable fractures of trading activity. It will not only lead to higher industry emissions, but also significant additional costs for businesses, and the creation of a confusing system where glass food and drink packaging is split into two waste streams. Ultimately, it will make it more difficult for consumers to recycle.
“Given the significant border between Wales and the rest of the UK, the difference in the scope of DRS materials across nations raises serious questions about labelling and logistics. Producers and retailers will have tough choices to make, deciding which products are sold in which markets, at a time of soaring costs and inflation.”
Speaking following the publication of the open letter, British Glass’ Chief Executive Dave Dalton, said: “Businesses operating in Wales find themselves in a very serious situation for no fault of their own. By October 2025, three of four countries in the UK will be operating DRSs that exclude glass – this is unequivocally the right thing to do.
“However, the Welsh government remains steadfast in its position to be the outlier by including glass despite overwhelming evidence to suggest it is the wrong solution, not only for businesses but for the environment.
By pressing ahead with a scheme that diverges from the rest of the UK, the Welsh government threatens all progress on glass recycling.
“Wales already has a world-leading recycling system in operation – a system that already collects 87.3% of glass bottles and jars through household collections. By pressing ahead with a scheme that diverges from the rest of the UK, the Welsh government threatens all progress on glass recycling.
“For businesses, this has the potential to genuinely impact their ability to operate, or worse, cause them to exit the Welsh market altogether – bringing the axe to consumer choice in Wales.”
