Bottle return scheme will not start until 2023

Scotland's bottle and can return scheme will now not be in place until August 2023, the Scottish government has said.

The flagship scheme to boost recycling via a 20p deposit on single-use drinks containers was originally due to start in April of this year.

This was then put back until July of next year - but has now been delayed for a further year.

Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater said it would still be the first of its kind in the UK.

But an independent review said the government faced "significant challenges, uncertainties and risks" in getting the scheme up and running by its new target date.

And Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur described Ms Slater's comments as a "laudable effort at dressing up an embarrassing failure as some sort of triumph".

The Scottish government originally proposed setting up a deposit return scheme (DRS) in 2017.

It would see 20p added to the price of a single-use drinks container bought from a shop, with the customer getting the deposit back when they return the empty bottle or can to the retailer.

The scheme will require contracts with thousands of firms, tens of thousands of return points, pickups for online orders and the processing of two billion containers per year.

Ministers have blamed the Covid pandemic, Brexit and a row over tax rules for the delays to the scheme.

But Ms Slater told the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday afternoon that there would be a phased implementation of the scheme, with the government keeping its target of achieving 90% collection rates by 2024.

She added: "Implementing a scheme on this scale is a massive national undertaking involving tens of thousands of producers and retailers.

"Given the challenges that the pandemic and Brexit have placed upon these businesses, it is disappointing - but understandable - that the independent review concluded the original start date was no longer feasible.

"Despite calls to water down the scheme by removing materials or waiting for other nations to catch up, we have maintained our ambition and ensured that the scheme will still meet its original target of achieving 90% collection rates by 2024."

As part of the phased implementation, the Scottish government said it is working with retailers on a voluntary basis to enable people to start returning their bottles and cans for recycling from November 2022.

Environmental group Greenpeace as previously said that another delay would mean "millions more cans and bottles needlessly dumped and burned".

Opposition parties have said the delays are an example of the government's actions on the environment not matching its rhetoric.