Trashed! Jack spells out recycling failures

THE Scottish Government was “utterly irresponsible” in the way it tried to implement its Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), a former UK Government minister has said.

- By Nick Forbes

Giving evidence at the Court of Session in Edinburgh on Friday, former Scottish Secretary Lord Alister Jack said the Scottish Government had withheld “commercial information” from businesses about a risk the scheme would be blocked.

Lord Jack was Scottish Secretary when the UK Government refused to grant the Scottish DRS an exemption for glass bottles under the Internal Market Act (IMA) that led to the Scottish Government

'It was farcical, a comedy of errors'

changing its plans for the scheme in 2023.

A UK-wide DRS is planned but is not expected to begin before 2027. Biffa Waste Services is suing the Scottish Government at the Court of Session, seeking £166million of reparations over the decision to delay the DRS.

Lord Jack said he was “appalled” by a letter sent to businesses about the scheme by circular economy minister Lorna Slater in May 2022, which he said “misled” business about the true commercial picture.

He said: “I am staggered that a letter was produced by officials, signed by a minister and sent out to companies that were investing their shareholders’ money or their own — and lots of it — not knowing the inherent risks of the whole picture.