Deposit return scheme for Scotland: business and regulatory impact assessment

3.0 Consultation

3.1 Consultation Within Government

33. As the Scottish Government’s delivery partner for DRS, Zero Waste Scotland has engaged with a number of public organisations.

34. Police Scotland and SEPA have been consulted on issues relating to fraud and cross-border consumer purchasing habits, while Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) have been consulted on issues relating to hygiene and the storage and transport of empty containers. Zero Waste Scotland has also been in discussions with Scottish Enterprise and COSLA. The Programme Board established to support the delivery of DRS includes representation from Highlands and Island Enterprise and a local authority Chief Executive.

3.2 Public Consultation

35. Between 27 June and 25 September 2018, the Scottish Government undertook a public consultation to explore options for establishing a DRS in Scotland. The consultation paper, A Deposit Return Scheme for Scotland, discussed the key features of a scheme and set out different options for its operation – without putting forward a preferred option. The consultation contained 54 questions seeking views on:

• System components
• The potential risks and opportunities associated with deposit return schemes
• Cooperation with the UK Government
• An interim equalities impact assessment (EQIA)

36. The analysis was based on 3,215 responses. These comprised responses from 159 organisations, 2,008 individuals and 1,048 postcard campaign respondents submitted by supporters of the Have You Got The Bottle (HYGTB) campaign.

37. Organisational respondents included a wide range of public, private and third sector organisations based in Scotland, elsewhere in the UK, and overseas. The largest categories of organisational respondents were: public sector organisations (25); food and drink producers (24); environmental, conservation, food and health charities (22); retail, vending and retail representative bodies (20); recycling and waste management organisations (16); and packaging manufacturers (16).

38. A full analysis of the consultation responses and key messages was published on 21^st February 2019.

39. A further public consultation on the draft Regulations to establish the scheme ran from 10 September 2019 to 10 December 2019. The consultation consisted of 7 open questions, each seeking views on a Part of the Regulations.

40. 147 responses were received through the exercise, 113 of which were from organisations and 34 from individuals. An analysis of the consultation was published alongside the final Regulations.

3.3 Business Consultation

41. The 12 businesses in Table 1 below were selected as being a representative cross-section of businesses along the supply chain that will be influenced by the introduction of a Scottish DRS. A questionnaire was sent out to each company in advance of face-to-face interviews which were undertaken in March and April 2018. Individual responses were recorded.

42. In addition, consultation responses were received from key business representatives during the public consultation period as discussed in the above section.