TOMRA welcomes Scotland’s “groundbreaking” deposit return scheme

The Scottish Government’s announcement last week that an ambitious and wide-ranging deposit return scheme (DRS) will be introduced has been hailed as “groundbreaking” by a reverse vending company, TOMRA Collection Solutions.

TOMRA have commended Scotland for taking the lead in the recycling revolution, as the first part of the UK to confirm implementation of such a scheme and provide details of the form it will take.

The announcement follows an extensive three month consultation process in 2018 examining which system design would deliver the best results for Scotland, the results of which indicated widespread support from Scots.

Truls Haug, Managing Director of TOMRA Collection Solutions UK & Ireland, said: “Based on our global experience we fully support the deposit return scheme announced by the Scottish Government. Creating a scheme that makes it as easy to return as it is to buy will help see the return of over 90 per cent of drinks containers for recycling within just two years of being introduced in Scotland.”

“A DRS will ensure Scotland recycles and reuses beverage container material effectively, as well as motivating people to return their used bottles and cans, reducing the negative impact that beverage container waste has on the planet."

“We look forward to helping retailers get ready for the go-live date, and we congratulate Zero Waste Scotland and the Scottish Government for its challenging work in coordinating the consultation that has led to these game-changing recommendations.”

“I can confirm that TOMRA will have a small footprint machine for convenience stores that can accept PET, can and glass ready for the Scottish rollout. This will have an even smaller footprint than those being trialled in Scotland today.”

“We support the introduction of a similar scheme for the rest of the UK as quickly as is feasible to help turn off the tap to plastic pollution.”