SAM ROWLANDS, Member of the Welsh Parliament for Fflint Wrecsam has voiced his concern at Welsh Government’s plans to go it alone and include glass in a Deposit Return Scheme.
Mr Rowlands, Welsh Conservative spokesperson for finance, was commenting during a Welsh Conservative debate on the Deposit Return Scheme.
He said: “We’ve already heard that many of us share the ambition for a Deposit Return Scheme that builds on Wales’s world-leading recycling rates, but I think we must also agree that a good policy must work well in practice, not just look good on paper.
“The question is not whether we should improve recycling, but whether creating a separate, more complicated Deposit Return Scheme than in the rest of the UK is the best way to achieve that.
“As a Member for the Fflint Wrecsam constituency, I see every day how interconnected our communities are here in the UK.
“People are constantly moving between England and Wales to work, shop and visit family, with businesses trading seamlessly across that border. What they need is that certainty and consistency, not that divergence and additional bureaucracy for bureaucracy’s sake.
“That’s why we’ve consistently supported a fully aligned, cross-nation, four-nation, Deposit Return Scheme approach.
“Glass would create unnecessary complexity and additional costs for producers, retailers—and, again, let’s not forget those consumers, who are the ones that would be paying for this through their purchases.
“Those costs could ultimately lead to higher prices, reduce consumer choice as some brands will reconsider the Welsh market, and greater pressure on smaller Welsh businesses
“Plaid Cymru often talked in their campaign that they wanted the economy at the heart of this new Plaid Cymru Government. So, listen to what businesses are telling you on this scheme at the moment, listen to their concerns and align with the rest of the UK.
“Environmental ambition and economic common sense should go hand in hand. We can deliver a successful Deposit Return Scheme, but only if it is practical, affordable and aligned with the rest of the UK.”
