Bottle deposits could save councils £35m

COUNCILS could save up to £35million a year if a deposit and refund scheme for plastic bottles and drinks cans was adopted.

The figure comes from a study across eight local authorities.

Currently, householders’ bottles and cans are collected by councils, which sort the waste and make money by selling bottles and cans to recycling firms. Local authorities say losing this money could put a big hole in their budgets.

But research by the consultancy Eunomia shows any losses would be eclipsed by savings in a deposit return scheme from having less to collect and sort, reduced litter and lower landfill charges. The Daily Mail has launched a Take Back Your Bottles campaign to combat the litter issues surrounding plastic bottles and poor recycling rates.