Key questions

The key questions that the Committee has, and would welcome comment on, are:

1. Scope (materials) – the types of container proposed to be covered and excluded and any specific issues.
2. Scope (retailers) – implications of the scheme applying to all retailers selling single-use drinks containers, including online retailers, and exclusion of businesses such as pubs and restaurant that sell drinks for on-site consumption.
3. Costs and operational impacts – costs anticipated for your business, service or sector and the appropriateness of the proposed financing model (that the scheme will be funded via unredeemed deposits, revenue from the sale of materials and a producer fee).
4. Environmental impacts – whether the proposed scheme will have the desired impact on increasing recycling rates and reducing littering, and how that impact can be maximised. What key environmental risks need to be considered and mitigated? Will the scheme incentivise producers to change or modify materials/packaging?
5. Level of deposit – implications and appropriateness of a charge being a uniform 20p.
6. Consumer and social impacts or risks – accessibility to consumers and what impacts are anticipated on different groups, including those with disabilities, those without private transport, and those living in rural areas.
7. Local authorities – implications of the proposed scheme for local authorities, including impacts on kerbside collections.
8. Timing - implications of the proposed timeframe (a minimum 12-month implementation period from the passing of legislation).
9. Governance – how the scheme should be administered, and appropriateness of the proposal for scheme administrator that is industry-led, privately owned and operated on a not-for-profit basis.
10. Broader waste policy context – will the scheme achieve its intended purpose in isolation, or does its success depend on the performance of broader measures? How should the scheme cooperate with any other proposed schemes in the UK?
11. Any further issues or views not falling under the above areas.