Wales goes it alone and delays bottle return scheme

Under DRS people would be offered money or vouchers for the return of bottles or cans, which could be reused or recycled.

It is not clear when the Welsh scheme would come into force – officials say the law required for its introduction will not be introduced until the next Senedd term which starts in 2026 and ends in 2030.

All four UK nations had been working together to agree a joint approach.

Wales was the last nation planning to include glass in its deposit return scheme (DRS), following a row where the UK government had refused Scotland permission to include the material in their version.

Under the Internal Market Act 2020, the UK government has to give its permission if a devolved government wants to restrict the trade of goods.

Irranca-Davies said: “In partnership with the UK and devolved governments, we have been working to initiate a joint process to appoint the deposit management organisation for our respective schemes later this month.

“However, in the time available it has not been possible to address the issues to the operation of devolution caused by the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020, inherited by the UK government from the previous administration.”

Officials said it had not been possible to conclude the process in time for setting up the joint organisation that would manage the system.