Reacting to the Government’s announcement around a Deposit Return
Scheme for drinks containers, Environmental Audit Committee
Chairman, Rt Hon MP, said:
“I welcome this announcement that a deposit return scheme
will be implemented in England, though it is disappointing to
learn that the scheme will not come in until 2025, given the
length of time the Government has spent pondering the issue. I
trust the Government will use the time before implementation to
establish a robust and workable scheme. In the UK, we discard
eight billion drinks containers a year, and recycling rates have
plateaued. This new scheme needs to play a significant part in
increasing recycling rates.
“Our Committee took evidence on plans for the DRS in 2021. The
experts we heard from then were in favour of an ‘all-in’ model
that would provide the greatest reduction in litter, ensure
collection of high-quality material for recycling and avoid
market distortion. We heard conflicting views on whether the
system should include glass, amid safety and storage concerns,
but concluded on balance glass should be included: it has been
successfully introduced in schemes in other countries. It is
therefore a missed opportunity that glass will not be in
England’s DRS at launch, but both Scotland and Wales’ DRS will
include glass.
“The Committee was strongly in favour of a scheme which would
operate as far as possible across all nations of the UK. I
urge Ministers to work constructively with the scheme operator
established in Scotland to ensure that the schemes in operation
in England and in Scotland are as compatible and interoperable as
possible.”
Notes to editors:
- EAC’s submission to the Government’s second consultation on
Introducing a Deposit Return Scheme in England, Wales and
Northern Ireland can be found on the Committee’s website.
