Wales presses ahead with glass in deposit scheme despite fraud warning

Industry groups have warned that including single-use glass in Wales's deposit return scheme carries a fraud risk of up to USD 396m (GBP 300m), noting in a letter seen by BBC Wales that 92% of household glass in Wales is already recycled. The Welsh government is proceeding, diverging from the England, Scotland and Northern Ireland scheme for plastic bottles and metal cans due to start in October 2027, and is running a process to appoint a deposit management organisation.

Why this mattersA Wales-only glass deposit scheme would force drinks and glass packaging supply chains to run a separate collection and labelling system from the rest of the UK.

• Industry groups warn of a potential USD 396m (GBP 300m) fraud risk from including glass in the Welsh deposit return scheme
• England, Scotland and Northern Ireland plan a deposit return scheme for plastic bottles and metal cans from October 2027
• Wales has decided to also include single-use glass, diverging from the rest of the UK
• A letter seen by BBC Wales states that 92% of household glass in Wales is already recycled
• The Welsh government is running a process to appoint a deposit management organisation for the scheme
• Plaid Cymru has proposed a staged introduction starting with plastic and metal drinks containers

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