Scotland's First Minister has announced that the Deposit Return Scheme will go live on 1 March 2024.

While Circularity Scotland were fully prepared for and focused on delivering the scheme from 16^th August, 2023, the scheme launch date is a policy matter for the Scottish Government. We will continue to support businesses of all sizes across Scotland in getting ready for the scheme’s launch on 1 March, 2024. This new launch date now gives those businesses almost 10 months to prepare and those businesses who have yet to register now have until 12 January, 2024, to do so.

The Scottish Government’s announcement puts an end to speculation about the timescales for the launch of the scheme and we urge all producers and retailers who have yet to register for the scheme to contact us so we can support them through the registration process.

It remains the case that the Deposit Return Scheme is a vital element in Scotland’s path to Net Zero and will prevent billions of bottles and cans every year from ending up as waste and polluting our landscape. We remain fully committed to delivering a scheme that works for Scotland and will be working closely with all stakeholders to ensure its success.