Deposit scheme for drinks containers planned

Consumers in England will be required to pay a deposit on single-use drinks containers – whether plastic, glass or metal – under new government plans to crack down on pollution.

Single-use drinks contains will be subject to a deposit payment scheme in England

Shoppers will pay an up-front deposit when they buy a drink, which will be redeemed on return of the empty container.

The scheme, which is planned to launch following a consultation later this year, echoes similar systems in countries such as Sweden and Germany, where customers pay a deposit of 8p and 22p respectively.

The consultation will take into account views from producers, suppliers and consumers “to ensure that any system introduced works across the country”.

According to a UK Government announcement yesterday, the scheme could be altered to include cash rewards for returning drinks containers instead of an up-front deposit.

The UK Government said it “hopes” to work with Scotland and Wales, which have devolved environment powers, on the “important issue”.

Environment secretary Michael Gove said: “We can be in no doubt that plastic is wreaking havoc on our marine environment – killing dolphins, choking 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.”

Discarded food and drink containers make up a fifth of rubbish on beaches, with 150 million tonnes of plastic currently polluting the world’s oceans.

The drinks industry has focused on reducing pollution by cracking down on single-use plastic straws.

Leading drinks groups and a number of bar chains have completely banned the use of non-biogradable straws across their businesses, while some have launched dedicated campaigns to highlight the environmental damage caused by plastic.