During the Conservative Party conference yesterday in Manchester Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Michael Gove outlined Government plans to introduce such a scheme to help the environment.
During his speech he said: “We are looking to go further to reduce plastic waste by working with industry to see how we could introduce a deposit return scheme for plastic bottles. Our oceans are our planet’s greatest natural resource and this Government is determined to ensure we restore them to health for the next generation.”
The Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs, launched a consultation into the issue yesterday, which includes not just plastic but glass and metal containers. The deadline for submissions is 30 October 2017.
The Government said that more than eight million tonnes of plastic are discarded into the world’s oceans each year, putting marine wildlife under serious threat.
Up to 80% of this is estimated to have been originally lost or discarded on land before washing out to sea, and plastic bottles are a particular concern - with figures showing just 57% of those sold in the UK in 2016 were collected for recycling.
The evidence submitted will be examined by the Government’s working group which includes brand and retail giants such as Coca-Cola and Tesco.
However, concern about the move was raised by the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA).
“We will certainly be providing evidence as part of this process and will work with Government to find solutions, as we have long-standing concerns about mandatory deposit schemes,” said BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds.
“In many cases, such schemes won’t be the most efficient way of supporting recycling. Supporting existing local recycling schemes is likely to deliver better results.
“A mandatory deposit scheme could be very costly and would end up being funded by consumers and businesses. There are real concerns that small premises like pubs and shops do not have the storage space and we need to ensure that issues like this are fully considered and that the carbon generated to return the deposits is not greater than the benefit of the recycling.”