The initiative, which has taken years to come to fruition, is now likely to exclude glass bottles, raising widespread concerns about effectiveness.
Defra Minister Mary Creagh revealed new details of the long-delayed Deposit Return Scheme last week, suggesting the model could return to the original blueprint proposed under the Conservatives.
However, public demand for a more comprehensive programme, which includes glass bottles, is high. According to data released last week by a coalition of local MPs, Keep Britain Tidy, Nature 2030 and more, around 74% of the UK public now wants to see glass included in any deposit return system for bottles, cans, and other containers.
‘The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers across all four nations will include single-use drinks containers from 150ml to 3 litres,’ said Creagh. ‘In England and Northern Ireland, materials included in DRS are polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, steel, and aluminium drink containers. Glass will not be in scope of the scheme.’
If this plan goes ahead, England and Northern Ireland would operate a different and more limited Deposit Return Scheme than the other UK nations. Both Scotland and Wales have included glass in their proposals, mirroring man countries on the European mainland and globally. Worldwide, just 56 such programmes currently exist, and 49 of these extend to glass.
‘There is strong public demand for Labour to U-turn on this absurd Conservative position of excluding glass from England and Northern Ireland’s deposit return scheme,’ said Dominic Dyer Chair of Nature 2030. ‘And there is still time for the government to change tack as part of the ‘rapid review’ they are undertaking of the previous administration’s whole Environmental Improvement Plan. There is not much point in that review if ministers stick to ‘business as usual’ which for too long has lacked ambition and given in to special interests rather than putting the planet first.’
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