‘Money back on empties’ scheme must work across all UK, say MPs

SCHEMES THAT pay consumers to return drink bottles and cans for recycling should be consistent across the whole country, MPs said yesterday.

The Environmental Audit Committee has also called for cartons to be included in any deposit-return scheme, in which customers are charged a levy on drinks containers which is refunded when they are returned to recycling points.

The parliamentary committee made its recommendations in a submission on a Government consultation on bringing in a deposit-return scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2024, with Scotland bringing in a scheme separately.

They called for the Environment Department to bring in a scheme that targets drink containers of all sizes, not just smaller ones that people drink on the go, for England and Northern Ireland, following Scotland’s lead and the preference shown by Wales.

It will be easier for consumers to understand and simpler for the drinks industry if the rules were the same across the four nations, the MPs said.

The committee also recommended that cartons, which are not currently proposed for inclusion in the scheme, should be included to boost recycling and cut litter. There is existing capacity within the UK for cartons to be properly recycled, MPs said.

Including glass could also enhance recycling rates further but would be dependent on glass being compacted rather than crushed and on ensuring safety and space concerns for small retailers are considered, they said.

A deposit-return scheme has been planned since 2018 and in 2019 the Government pledged to bring in the scheme, to reduce litter and boost recycling, in 2023.

But a new consultation was launched in March for a scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to be introduced in late 2024 at the earliest and to “explore what the continued appetite is for a deposit-return scheme in a post-Covid context”.

Committee chairman Philip Dunne said despite growing awareness of the impact of singleuse packaging and increased recycling rates, Britons still wasted eight billion drinks containers in 2019.

“This is not just a major wasted resource but a huge source of litter polluting our streets, roadsides, rivers and beaches.”

A Defra spokesperson said: “We are absolutely committed to delivering a deposit-return scheme as quickly and effectively as possible and we plan to lay out next steps later this year following our consultation.”

Defra said the scheme would require coordination across Government, devolved administrations and key industry stakeholders, as well as new legislation, the appointment of new organisations to manage the scheme and large-scale changes to the sector.

This is not just a wasted resource but a huge source of litter. Committee chairman Philip Dunne speaking yesterday.