The Federation of Independent Retailers’ (The Fed) president in Wales, Mark Dudden, has added his voice to calls for faster action implementing a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for recycling in Wales and for the adoption of a Deposit Management Organisation (DMO) to administer it.
With the Welsh Senedd election due next Tuesday (7 May), the Fed has written to the current minister responsible, Huw Irranca-Davies, and his officials, uging the appointment of a DMO which can administer the scheme and deal with the technical questions involved in implementing a brand new DRS in the country.
The sole applicant for the DMO, Exchange for Change, was rejected in its application for Wales earlier in April and the new application process will carry on until June.
Dudden said: “The Fed has actively engaged in the implementation of DRS, serving on the advisory board of the DMO covering the rest of the UK, but we feel for it to work it must have full interoperability with the rest of Britain and Northern Ireland.
“As we have also made clear in our manifesto for the election, launched in January, the Fed also has concerns that adding glass to the mix will make it hard for small shops - and ultimately make the best the enemy of the good, undermining the Welsh scheme as a whole.
“Whoever takes on responsibility for running it, we hope a new DMO can be put in place as soon as possible to ensure clear communication and support for Welsh retailers when DRS is launched in just less than 18 months.”
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