Scottish bottle deposit return scheme could mean 'unlawful' trade barrier with rest of UK
dailyrecord.co.ukA Scottish recycling scheme could create an unlawful trade barrier with the rest of the UK, a leading lawyer has warned. The flagship SNP/Greens initiative is aimed at increasing recycling via a 20p deposit on single-use drinks bottles and cans.Companies are required to register for the scheme by March 1 ahead of its planned launch on August 16 this year.
But Aidan O'Neill KC warned Holyrood ministers may have to delay it until the launch of a UK-wide scheme in 2025.He made the remarks in a 25-page legal opinion, seen by the Record, which was sought by a group of distillers.
Blair Bowman, a leading whisky expert, told the Record: "This is another devastating blow to the deposit return scheme mess.
It just shows you how ill-considered the whole thing has been from the start."Under the deposit return scheme, every Scottish producer will have to add a 20p to every product before it is sold anywhere in the country.
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