Government to introduce deposit return scheme for drinks bottles in England to tackle waste and improve recycling
The government today confirmed plans to roll out a deposit return scheme for plastic and glass bottles so shoppers in England will have to pay extra on drinks – but will get it back if they return the container.
The rate could see consumers pay as much as 22p extra in an upfront deposit when they buy a drink, as is the case in Germany. That is then redeemed on return of the empty drink container, which is often carried out through reverse vending machines where consumers put in an empty bottle and get money back out.
Read more: McDonald’s is trialling paper straws in a bid to go green
The initiative is expected to encompass glass and plastic bottles, as well as steel and aluminium cans.
Environment secretary Michael Gove said:
We can be in no doubt that plastic is wreaking havoc on our marine environment – killing dolphins, choking turtles and degrading our most precious habitats. It is absolutely vital we act now to tackle this threat and curb the millions of plastic bottles a day that go unrecycled.
We have already banned harmful microbeads and cut plastic bag use, and now we want to take action on plastic bottles to help clean up our ocean
The scheme is subject to consultation later this year where the details of the proposals will be ironed out.
Such schemes already operate elsewhere in Europe, including Denmark, Sweden and Germany. The government said once a bottle is returned, businesses are then responsible for making sure they are effectively recycled, which has led to a 97 per cent recycling rate in Germany.
UK consumers go through an estimated 13bn plastic drinks bottles a year, but more than 3bn are incinerated, sent to landfill, or simply left to pollute the streets, countryside and marine environment, according to the government.
It plans to discuss the proposals with devolved administrations to gauge the scope for working together on the issue.
The war on plastic hasn’t just been limited to government, with businesses getting in on the act too.
Today, City A.M. revealed McDonald’s is trialling the introduction of paper straws in some of its UK stores in a bid to improve its green credentials, while Pret is mulling a 10p plastic bottle deposit scheme too.
Read more: Pret is considering a 10p refund scheme for plastic bottles