There has been widespread coverage including The Times,
BBC Online, the
Financial
Times, the Guardian, the
Independent,
I News, the Daily
Mirror, the Daily
Mail, and the Daily Express
of our plans to introduce a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks
containers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from October
2025.
Our announcement on Friday
confirmed the next stages of the scheme’s introduction –
including the implementation timeline, the sizes of drinks
containers covered by DRS, and the materials in scope.
Times Radio, LBC and
Bauer Media all ran interviews with Environment
Minister on the scheme, as well as the
Government’s wider ambitions to tackle pollution and increase
recycling under our Collection and Packaging reforms.
Every year UK consumers go through an estimated around 14 billion
plastic drinks bottles and nine billion drinks cans, many of
which are littered or condemned to landfill.
The new scheme, covering England, Wales and Northern Ireland, is
set to be introduced in 2025, following extensive work with
industry to prepare for the necessary changes – including setting
up infrastructure and amending labelling. It aims to ensure 85%
fewer drinks containers are discarded as litter after three years
of its launch.
These plans build on efforts to eliminate avoidable plastic
waste. Last week the UK government announced that a ban
on single-use plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon
sticks, expanded and extruded polystyrene food and drinks
containers, including cups, will be introduced in England from
October 2023.
Environment Minister said:
We want to support people who want to do the right thing to help
stop damaging plastics polluting our green spaces or floating in
our oceans and rivers.
That is why we are moving ahead using our powers from our
landmark Environment Act to introduce a Deposit Return Scheme for
drinks containers.
This will provide a simple and effective system across the
country that helps people reduce litter and recycle more easily,
even when on the move.
