66% of people in Wales want glass to remain in the country’s deposit return scheme (DRS), according to a new poll by campaign group Nature 2030.
The poll of 1025 adults in Wales aged 16 and over was conducted by YouGov between 25 – 29 September 2023.
According to the poll, 60% of Welsh adults said they believed the scope of the scheme should be consistent across all four nations of the UK. The poll also revealed that 62% of Welsh adults support the introduction of a DRS in Wales.
In a statement given to Circular Online, a spokesperson for Nature 2030 said: “The Welsh Government has had long-standing plans to introduce a DRS for drinks containers in Wales.
“These schemes have boosted recycling rates and slashed litter in countries such as Denmark and Finland. All nations of the UK should replicate this and introduce all-in systems.
It is imperative the Welsh Government stands strong and includes glass in Wales’s DRS.
“Environment policy in Wales is a power that lies with Senedd Cymru and the Welsh Government, not the UK Government. It is imperative the Welsh Government stands strong and includes glass in Wales’s DRS.”
Earlier this year, the Scottish Government delayed its DRS until at least October 2025 after the UK Government declined a request for full exclusion from the Internal Market Act, which meant glass had to be removed from the scheme’s scope.
Before the announcement Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf sent a letter to the Prime Minister stating that removing glass from the scheme put the future of DRS in “grave danger” in Scotland and the rest of the UK.
Following the delay, the British Soft Drinks Association confirmed it’s seeking compensation from the Scottish government for the money its members spent preparing for Scotland’s DRS.
