Boss of Circularity Scotland returns to lead new venture

The Herald Scotland

14 hours ago

Mr McCalman joined DRS International in August last year, after previously holding the post of programme director at Circularity Scotland.
Circularity, a not-for-profit company which was funded by drinks producers, was set up to administer Scotland's proposed deposit return scheme. However, it fell into administration in June 2023 after the roll-out of the scheme was kicked into the long grass by the Scottish Government following protracted rows over its implementation. Its collapse came amid a war of words with the UK Government, which initially blocked the scheme and then said it could only go ahead if glass was excluded.
The initial focus of DRS International is on the forthcoming implementation of a UK deposit return scheme, which is due to come into effect in October 2027. The company is also advising companies on the new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations, under which producers are now liable for the cost of packaging waste through the lifecycle of their products.
Mr McCalman is part of a team at DRS International that has been put together by executive chairman Bill Power. The team includes director of operations Gordon McGuigan who has more than 10 years' senior management experience within the waste and recycling sector. He recently spent four years as a DRS consultant, with interim chief operating officer roles for the Romanian and Irish schemes.
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DRS International highlighted growing concern in society over the management of single-use containers, noting that of the 31 billion bottles and cans consumed every year in the UK, an estimated 7.5 billion are not recycled and go to waste, or are simply thrown away.
Mr McCalman said: 'As well as the environmental benefits that DRS brings, there is also an uplifting effect on society generally as a result of cutting down dramatically on the amount of litter on our streets and public spaces.
'This was an issue which resonated strongly with people when we were hiring our teams and was a significant factor in the rationale for pushing ahead with a DRS in Scotland.'
Mr McGuigan said: 'With the UK scheme coming round the corner and other schemes in Europe set to go live in coming years we feel confident we can deploy more teams into ever growing schemes and do our part to guide them to success. And we also have the skills and experience to help more mature schemes react to the ever-changing regulatory and consumer landscape they face.'
Mr Power noted: 'For many years the cost of dealing with the environmental impact of products and packaging has been borne by society and is not included in the cost of manufacture to the producer.
'EPR and DRS schemes are designed to place greater responsibility on the producers of those products and packaging for the reduction of that environmental impact throughout the lifecycle. DRS International aims to guide operators (who are typically appointed by producers) from initial design to performance improvement, and from technical consultancy to implementation.
'The new consultancy offers a highly experienced core team with direct design and delivery experience in schemes across the world, supported by a network of associates who have worked directly within various schemes.
'I hope to measure the impact of my career by the hundreds of billions of containers that will be recycled by schemes advised by DRS International in the future.'
As well as outsourcing and consultancy solutions, DRS International will also offer IT expertise, which will be delivered by John Player. Mr Player has more than 30 years' experience working in multiple sectors, for companies ranging from multinationals to small businesses.
Mr Player said: "Our system is built by DRS people for DRS people. It's for those running a DRS or about to start a DRS, to assist them in enhancing their data and making decisions quickly as things change and regulations change.'