Victory for the Mail as ministers start talks on bottle deposit scheme
A DEPOSIT scheme aimed at curbing the toxic blight of plastic bottles on the environment is being considered by ministers.
Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom last night ordered a review to weigh up the costs and benefits of a scheme that would offer cash for returned bottles.
The move follows a campaign by the Daily Mail to clamp down on the tide of plastic bottles polluting our streets, countryside and seas.
Ministers had ruled out including a deposit scheme in the Government’s litter strategy due to be published on Monday, saying it was not clear how effective it would be.
But Mrs Leadsom said last night it was time to look seriously at whether it could be made to work, adding: ‘ We have made great progress in recycling plastic bottles, but there is a long way to go. It is totally unacceptable that half of the 35million bottles sold every day end up in landfill or – even worse – littering our countryside, roadsides and seas.
‘The new expert group I am setting up will consider the best evidence on the most innovative, but also practical, ways to tackle plastic rubbish.’ Campaigners have urged the Government to follow the lead of countries such as Germany, Belgium and Sweden, where supermarkets operate ‘reverse vending machines’ that give customers a cash credit for every bottle returned.
The introduction of a 22p deposit on plastic bottles in Germany in 2003 saw recycling rates soar from 72 per cent to 98 per cent. By contrast, the UK recycles 57 per cent of the millions of bottles sold each day.
Almost half end up in landfill or are dropped as litter. In the past, deposit schemes existed for glass bottles in this country to encourage their return.
Initially, the British Soft Drinks Association opposed a deposit scheme for plastic bottles, saying it would increase costs for consumers, businesses and councils, but it is now ‘open-minded’ about the idea.
And Coca-Cola has said it will support a trial scheme in Scotland if the Holyrood government approves it, which it is expected to do. Super- markets, however, which originally objected to the successful 5p charge on plastic bags, remain opposed to a deposit scheme.
A source at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said evidence of the effectiveness of deposit schemes remained inconclusive.
But Mrs Leadsom has decided the scale of the waste problem posed by bottles means it should be investigated properly.
The review will be conducted by a panel of environmental economists, behavioural psychologists, industry experts and representatives from the waste sector. They will look at evidence from around the world, as well as considering how such a scheme might operate in England.
Key issues will include administrative costs and the likelihood of price rises. The group will also consider whether a deposit scheme would change the behaviour of people who already recycle bottles.
The review will start work in the coming weeks and has been ordered to report to Mrs Leadsom by the end of the year. She will then consider whether to introduce a scheme in England.
She has also asked the group to consider new ways of dealing with other forms of common waste, such as fast food packaging, cigarette butts and chocolate wrappers.
Manufacturers and retailers will be asked to come up with solutions to reduce the blight caused by their products.
The change of heart follows a highprofile campaign by the Daily Mail for a bottle return scheme.
This newspaper also campaigned successfully for the introduction of the 5p tax on plastic bags and a curb in the use of toxic plastic microbeads in cosmetics, both of which are blamed for causing serious pollution to oceans.
The Government’s new litter strategy is expected to include wide-ranging measures to tackle the fallout of the country’s increasingly throwaway culture.
Leaked reports suggest measures will include on-the-spot fines of £60 for motorists who allow rubbish to be thrown from car windows. The standard fine for littering could also rise from £75 to £125.