Alice Rackley, the CEO of Polytag, commented:
It’s disappointing that during discussions around Scotland’s deposit return scheme in the Scottish Parliament, there has been no mention of the digital model. With the scheme delayed further until 16 August 2023, now is time to review our options and ask whether the conventional DRS model, involving the transportation and implementation of 10,000 reverse vending machines, is really what is needed.
On Wednesday, the report for our Welsh Government-led Conwy DDRS pilot was released. It concluded that kerbside digital DRS has the potential to help Wales deliver on its Zero Waste targets while also cutting carbon emissions through high quality recycling. It also affirmed its compatibility with existing household recycling processes and was seen by residents as preferable to returning containers to store. Off the back of Tetra Pak’s announcement that 59% of people would be confused by the DRS unless it was consistent with household recycling collection, it begs the question: with such clear advantages of the digital DRS, why must we insist on an outdated model when we have a radical, modern alternative at our fingertips?