Publishing its contribution to the Government’s consultation on
Deposit Return Schemes for England, Wales and Northern Ireland,
the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has today called for
Defra to introduce a scheme which is interoperable throughout the
UK.
The Committee argues that it would be easier for consumers to
understand and simpler for the drinks industry if the rules for
deposit return schemes were consistent across the four nations of
the UK.
In its submission, the EAC also recommended that cartons be
included in the deposit return scheme, which is not currently
within the Government’s scope. There are strong environmental
arguments in favour of collecting cartons, and there is existing
capacity within the UK for cartons to be properly recycled and
repurposed. Failure to include cartons from the outset would
result in greater costs should the material be added at a later
stage.
The EAC also heard evidence that including glass in the deposit
return scheme could enhance recycling rates further, with 18% of
wasted containers in the UK in 2019 being glass, despite good
kerbside collection. However, this is dependent on glass being
compacted (rather than crushed) and ensuring safety and space
concerns for small retailers are considered.
Environmental Audit Committee Chairman, Rt Hon MP, said:
“Over recent years the environmental impact of single-use
packaging has been brought into focus. Yet despite growing
awareness, and increased rates of recycling, in 2019 Brits still
wasted eight billion drinks containers. This is not just a major
wasted resource but a huge source of litter, polluting our
streets, roadsides, rivers and beaches.
“A deposit return scheme can increase current rates of recycling,
incentivising people to get money back on their single-use
containers. So it was disappointing that the Government delayed
the introduction of a DRS to 2024, and it is critical that this
consultation helps finalise design of the scheme so it is not
delayed any more.
“It is absolutely right for producers to become responsible for
the whole lifecycle of their packaging, but it must be fair
across sectors. That is why the Government must ensure the DRS
roll-out includes all materials and allows the Deposit
Management Organisation to determine the fee structure across
sectors.”
Notes for editors
