New Welsh Recycling Rules Worry Drink Producers

The government in Wales plans a new recycling system. This system will start on October 1, 2027. Shoppers will pay a deposit when they buy drinks. The shops will give this money back later. Shoppers must return the empty cans and bottles to get the refund. People will use new return machines in many shops.

However, many drinks companies do not like the system. The Welsh system is going to include glass bottles. Other parts of the UK will not include glass. This difference makes the Welsh plan more expensive and complex. Welsh shops need bigger machines to collect glass. The British Soft Drinks Association said this will increase costs. Some drink bottles will cost fifty pence more now.

William Watkins is the chief executive of Radnor Hills. He thinks the rules are a complete mess. In his view, companies need the same rules in both places. Wales has a small share of the UK market. Therefore, some companies will stop selling their products in Wales.

Llyr Gruffydd is the Plaid Cymru minister for the scheme. He did not want to speak to reporters. However, Keep Wales Tidy supported the new rules. Owen Derbyshire works for this important green charity. According to him, drinks companies always argue against these schemes. He says these recycling schemes work in forty other countries.

Now, the Welsh government has a big problem. They need to choose a company to run the scheme quickly. The application period closed on the second of June. Only Exchange for Change applied for the job. They offered only one hundred machines for glass. But the Welsh government wanted three thousand machines. Leaders must make a decision in a few weeks.