The UK government has announced plans for a tank take-back scheme for plastic and glass bottles as part of a campaign to end plastic pollution.
In a March 28 statement, the department of environment, food and rural affairs (DEFRA) said the plan would be introduced later this year.
UK consumers, DEFRA said, go through an estimated 13 billion plastic drink bottles a year, of which more than three billion are incinerated, sent to landfills or left in the trash.
The plan, to be launched in England, will include all single-use beverage containers, be they plastic, glass or metal.
A consultation period was started to discuss the details of how such a plan would work, along with other measures to increase recycling rates.
In response to the announcement, leading waste management company Suez UK published the results of a national survey conducted by YouGov that suggested that the majority of British consumers would respond positively to the scheme.
“Nearly three-quarters of UK consumers (74%) would likely return plastic bottles and aluminum cans with a Deposit Refund System (DRS) if they had to pay a deposit of just 10p each,” the statement said. from Suez.
The survey, commissioned by Suez, surveyed more than 2,000 adults across Britain and also found that 80% of people believed there were not enough public recycling bins to use in public areas.
The survey also found that nearly 40% of respondents were more likely to put plastic bottles or cans in a general trash can if a proper public recycling bin is not helpful.
Suez also suggested a number of initiatives for the “ideal” deposit return scheme, including the opportunity for consumers to donate their deposits for a variety of reasons.
The scheme, he said, should ideally only target PET bottles and aluminum cans smaller than 0.7 liters.
These, he said, are typically consumed while “on the go” rather than at home and are a more significant cause of waste than larger bottles.
Also, Suez recommends that the idea outline? They should be owned / operated by manufacturers, but provide the opportunity for local authorities to generate new sources of income.
Also thanking the move, CPRE, the campaign to protect rural England, said it “sincerely congratulates” the government on its decision to introduce a national deposit refund system (DRS) for plastic and glass bottles as well as aluminum cans. .
Calling it a watershed moment for recycling in the UK, he said the introduction will help boost recycling rates and combat the scourge of litter spoilage in the countryside.
“What is significant is that producers will now pay the full costs of their packaging, reducing the burden on the taxpayer and setting a strong precedent for other schemes where the polluter pays,” said Samantha Harding, director of the litter program. in ERCP.
