The Welsh Government has pledged to “accelerate” work to launch a deposit return scheme (DRS) for drinks containers.
A statement by deputy first minister Huw Irranca-Davies last week said the country would align its initiative with those being prepared in other home nations.
Wales last year said it had “not been possible” to iron out devolution issues so was “not able to proceed” with a UK-wide DRS.
But Westminster last autumn insisted it was “firmly committed” to launching a deposit return scheme by October 2027.
Irranca-Davies said last week: “We have heard clearly from industry that the scenario where a scheme is introduced in the other parts of the UK, with no scheme in place in Wales, carries the greatest risk of operational complexity and associated costs.
“I have therefore set out to industry that we are willing to accelerate our implementation timetable to align with the rest of the UK, which would provide for interoperability between common materials.”
He added that glass would remain part of the Welsh DRS, despite its exclusion in England and Northern Ireland.
Scotland has pledged to launch its own return scheme in October 2027.
