THE UK Government has announced plans for a deposit return system in a bid to crack down on plastic pollution and increase recycling rates in England.
The system is to cover single use drinks containers, whether plastic, glass or metal, and is subject to consultation later this year. First Minister for Scotland Nicola Sturgeon announced that Scotland would introduce a deposit return system in September last year.
Similar systems are already in operation across Europe, in countries such as Germany, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia and Lithuania, with consumers paying an up-front deposit when buying a drink, which is then redeemed on return of the empty drinks container.
This is often done either manually by retailers or through a network of reverse vending machines. Fees vary across Europe, ranging from 8 pence in Sweden to 22 pence in Germany.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove said in a statement, “We can be in no doubt that plastic is wreaking havoc on our marine environment – killing dolphins, chocking 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 microbeads and cut plastic bag use, and now we want to take action on the plastic bottles to help clean up our ocean.”
The British Plastics Federation welcomed the announcement. In a statement, it said, “As the experts on plastics, we will be a constructive and supportive partner to the government as this is developed to ensure we get the details right.
“We agree with Michael Gove that our mission should be to leave the environment in a better state than we found it. We are already working closely alongside brands and retailers, as well as NGOs, to tackle the issue of plastic waste and to make sure that we stop litter entering our rivers and seas.
“We feel it is important that aluminium cans and glass bottles are also included in any deposit return scheme because – and this is a surprise to many – plastic bottles account for only 2% of litter and 20% of littered beverage packaging. For the sake of the environment, we want the scheme to reduce all littered beverage items found in our parks, rivers, beaches and streets.
“The UK has a fairly encouraging record on recycling plastic drink bottles, which currently sits at 74%. Now is the time for collaborative action to improve this figure across the whole country. We all want a future where it is simple, clear, and easy for people to recycle – whether they are in their home or out and about – and that starts now.”
James Piper, managing director at compliance firm Ecosurety, which helps product producers meet EU waste regulations and targets, commented, “We welcome in principle any initiative aimed at improving UK recycling, however the real question now is whether the UK has the correct infrastructure, i.e. capacity inside its recycling plants, to deal with the increase in glass, plastic and steel and aluminium cans that will be generated from such a scheme.
“We don’t want to see a situation whereby millions more tonnes of plastic are collected but sit dormant in warehouses, or worse, outside exposed to the elements, because there is nowhere inside the UK to recycle them.
“We agree with the position adopted by Defra’s own Voluntary and Economics Incentives Group, which suggests that the success of the deposit scheme will very much depend on the type chosen, that it needs to be well-designed and drawn up in consultation with businesses, in order to capture high quality material and provide a benefit.
“The Government needs to create a transparent, joined up recycling system so that the consumer can see exactly what happens when they recycle their plastic bottles or drinks cans, to maintain faith that everything in the UK is recycled.”
Sian Sutherland, co-founder of campaign group A Plastic Planet said, “This is a great milestone on the journey to a plastic-free future for food and drink. A deposit scheme is not the final solution to the plastic crisis, however. No matter how many times a plastic bottle is re-used or recycled, it will almost always end up in the environment sooner or later. Most plastic can only be recycled several times before it becomes unusable.
“Instead we have to turn off the plastic tap. This means eliminating plastic bottles at the earliest opportunity. Where is the logic in packaging something as fleeting as water in something as indestructible as plastic?
“In January, we all got a wake up call when China finally called time on accepting thousands of tonnes of plastic waste from the West for recycling. People are now realising that we have to deal with the waste we produce. Glass bottles and aluminium cans are already widely recycled, unlike most plastics. This means a higher deposit should be required for plastic bottles than aluminium and glass alternatives.”
Simon Ellin, chief executive of the Recycling Association said, “Normally, we would welcome any proposal that in principle would lead to an improvement in quality. Clearly, a deposit return scheme for plastics bottles, glass bottles and cans is likely to lead to a purer stream of material to recycle.
“However, we must be careful we do not throw the baby out with the bath water. We need to understand what this will mean for the entire domestic recycling system. For example, how will local authorities replace what is a valuable revenue stream for them and could this make collections of other material such as cardboard and paper uneconomic for local authorities? Could this then make the quality of other material worse if collection systems cannot be properly funded?
“Rather than introduce one solution to one issue, we need to ensure we look at the UK recycling system as a whole, and see if deposit return schemes can be a part of that. There is already a review of Extended Producer Responsibility being undertaken by the Advisory Committee on Packaging as part of the Resources & Waste Strategy, and it could be this could lead to more appropriate funding levels to address recycling performance and littering while maintaining existing infrastructure and quality levels.”
Vanden Recycling UK managing director David Wilson said, “The proposed DRS should be seen as a positive for plastic recycling in the UK.
“We currently have very good recycling collections for bottles from home, and DRS should help to improve the ability of consumers to recycle their drinks bottles when out and about.
“It should also help litter control and aid an increase in recycling rates of bottles. We also applaud anything that should lead to a higher quality stream of material, and DRS has been proven to do this.
“However, we need to work through the detail of the proposal, particularly to see which bottles are included and which are excluded.”
He continued, “Michael Gove and Defra are taking a collaborative approach to improving recycling in general, and we also welcome that the recycling industry and other stakeholders are being involved in these discussions with Government.
“Currently, stakeholders across the plastic supply chain are developing a coherent plan to improve plastic recycling. This includes people from manufacturers, retailers, the recycling sector and local government, along with WRAP and INCPEN to bring it all together.
“Together, we are aiming to develop a multi-layered strategy, of which DRS has a place, that will improve plastic recycling in the long term.”
Packaging Scotland recently visited Estonia to see how its system operates and you can read all about it in our April issue.
