A coalition of Welsh environmental and charitable organisations has written to UK Government Secretaries of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Business & Trade, and Wales, urging them to approve an exclusion under the Internal Market Act to enable Wales to proceed with its proposed Deposit Return Scheme (DRS).
The open letter highlights Wales’s long-standing leadership in environmental policy, pointing to successful initiatives such as the plastic carrier bag charge, which was first introduced in Wales and later adopted more widely across the UK. The organisations argue that the Deposit Return Scheme follows the same model of devolved decision-making, allowing Wales to develop solutions that reflect its own environmental challenges and community needs.
Drinks litter
The Welsh Government’s proposed scheme, covering plastic bottles, cans and glass, has been developed over several years with input from businesses, local authorities and the third sector, and was passed by the Senedd in good faith. In Wales, materials targeted by DRS are found in over half of public spaces, with data from Marine Conservation Society showing glass on 49% of Welsh beaches (2024) and data from Keep Wales Tidy’s new GLÂN litter surveys showing broken glass present at around 8% of locations (2025), raising concerns around public safety, environmental harm and clean-up costs.
Public backing
Public backing for a comprehensive scheme is also strong. UK-wide consultation evidence shows that 86% of respondents supported the inclusion of glass within a Deposit Return Scheme. Campaigners also note that glass was originally included in plans for a UK-wide scheme, and that later changes at a UK level, rather than decisions taken in Wales, led to the current divergence.
International experience shows that comprehensive deposit return schemes, including glass, are most common and effective. Examples from countries and federated systems such as Canada and Australia demonstrate that variations between nations or regions can work well in practice.
The organisations warn that preventing Wales from implementing its scheme would raise wider questions about the ability of devolved governments to plan and legislate with confidence in areas that are clearly devolved.
The letter is supported by Keep Wales Tidy alongside Surfers Against Sewage, Trash Free Trails and Wales Environment Link, who are calling on the UK Government to work constructively with the Welsh Government and allow Wales to proceed with its proposed Deposit Return Scheme, including glass and provision for reuse.
