Bottle deposit scheme could reduce litter and boost recycling

Returning used bottles in exchange for a 10p payment could increase recycling and reduce litter, according to a Government study.

Louise Gray, The Telegraph 16 Dec 08;

Bottle deposits used to be common in the UK 20 years ago but were phased out when plastic bottles and cans became cheap to make and discard.

However, as the UK runs out of landfill it could come back into fashion.

A feasibility study by the Government found that returning drinks containers in exchange for 10p would increase recycling and reduce litter.

But the system would make drinks more expensive for people unable to return to the shop to claim back their deposit. It would also require massive investment in infrastructure and could take funds away from kerbside recycling.

The report by consultants Environmental Resources Management Limited concluded that if the system is introduced it will have to be designed carefully in order to stop drinks manufacturers from designing containers that will be cheaper because they do not have to be part of a scheme.

The Government, which has favoured the idea in the past, is now looking at the report.

Ben Stafford, Head of Campaigns at CPRE, said the study showed the scheme could go ahead.

"The research commissioned for Defra shows that a deposit scheme could have real advantages, and we don't even need to look outside the UK for proof. In Scotland, Irn Bru is still available in refundable glass bottles, and an impressive 70 per cent of these are returned. Each glass bottle returned is cleaned, refilled and sold around five times during its full life."

Mr Stafford said the system could also ease the current situation where councils are unable to sell cans and plastic botttles on for recycling because of the economic downturn. Especially during the festive season people use an extra 750 million glass containers and 500 million cans.

He added: "A deposit of 10 pence a bottle could see UK householders recovering £125 million at Christmas time alone. With the UK only recycling 35 per cent of the 13 billion plastic bottles we use each year, we feel sure a deposit scheme will have a real impact, help to keep the streets cleaner and reduce the annual £500m litter clean-up bill that we all have to pay."

Bill Bryson, the US travel writer and president of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), is in favour of the scheme.

He pointed to a recent poll that showed the majority of peopler are in favour of adding 5p to the price of a drink and then receiving it back when the container is returned for recycling. Four in five of the 1,000 people surveyed said they would support a scheme whereby 10 pence was included.

"This public poll proves that such a scheme would have huge support, so we say that now is the time for the Government to take action," he said.