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Shoppers could face higher prices and the inconvenience of taking empty glass bottles back to shops under a new recycling scheme, the Welsh Conservatives have warned.

First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth defended the plans in the Senedd, arguing the deposit return scheme (DRS) will encourage environmental responsibility.

The scheme, scheduled to start in October 2027, will see customers pay a small deposit when buying drinks in single-use containers. This deposit is refunded when the empty container is returned to a shop.

Unlike the rest of the UK, the Welsh Government plans to include glass in its scheme.

Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar quizzed the First Minister on the DRS, and argued including glass will push up costs for businesses, manufacturers, and consumers, and said 90% of glass in Wales is already recycled through kerbside collections.

He questioned why householders should have to “drive with their cars full of bottles back to the shops” rather than using their usual home recycling bins.

The First Minister noted that the Conservatives have previously supported the deposit return scheme with glass.

He said: “Why is it that the Conservatives said they supported including glass? Why is it that the last Senedd voted for the inclusion of glass, which is something that this government is respecting in taking this matter forward?

“It is because it does go further than recycling. It is the reuse. It is about that environmental responsibility.

“It is about also being a trailblazer, because there’s an agreement in principle in other parts of the UK to progressing with glass. We can be the ones showing the way.”

Responding in the Senedd, the First Minister dismissed warnings from large manufacturers about massive price increases, saying “the sums don’t add up.”

Mr ap Iorwerth added that small retailers who lack the physical space for return machines will be exempt from the scheme.