This has been superseded by the UK Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), which is set to be implemented across all nations.
Humza Yousaf announces DRS delay.
Good news for some, bad for others, as the first minister for Scotland, Humza Yousaf has announced that the planned DRS scheme for Scotland will now be delayed until March 2024. This is a change from the initial go-live date of 16th August 2023.
In his speech outlining his priorities for the coming 3 years, Mr Yousaf discussed that he and Lorna Slater, the Circular Economy Minister (who had been previously confident in the schemes launch in August) had heard the concerns about readiness.
He said they would work with businesses, together with Circularity Scotland to address these concerns and "ensure a successful launch" on the new date. He also announced that a package of measures will also be put in place to "simplify and de-risk" the scheme.
In the past few years the DRS scheme has faced uncertainty and issues. Many businesses are struggling to understand the items that are included in the scheme and the costs of implementing processing, especially for smaller businesses.
Update, this date has now been moved again to October 2025 in line with the rest of the UK... Read our up to date article here.
Additionally to be kept abreast of the latest news around DRS in your country, keep an eye on our blog and social channels. These will be updated regularly with the latest happenings.
