Bottle Deposit Schemes

Michael Gove, the minister for the Environment has
just launched a public consultation about introducing a bottle
deposit scheme in England. [1] It comes in the wake of the
delivery of our bottle deposit petition to 10 Downing Street -
uniting over a quarter of a million voices calling for him to
help protect our oceans and beaches from plastic pollution.

There is now overwhelming public support for a bottle deposit
scheme, with almost 3 out of 4 people in the UK in favour of the
measure. Thank you for signing the petition.

The government consultation will focus on ways to increase the
recycling rates of drinks containers and prevent the littering of
plastic bottles. It opened this week and will be run until the
30th October.

This week Surfers Against Sewage launched a new report showing
that the introduction of a deposit return system on plastic and
glass bottles would not only reduce ocean plastic pollution but
also save local authorities millions of pounds annually.

To see the full report please visit our news update here:
https://www.sas.org.uk/uncategorised/deposit-refund-system-save-councils-35-million-year/

It’s estimated that 700,000 plastic bottles are littered every
day across the UK. Evidence from other countries, including the
US, Norway and Germany, shows that the introduction of a simple
deposit on plastic bottles and cans can raise collection rates
above 90% and reduce littering.

Our report clearly shows that introducing a bottle deposit scheme
for England would benefit local economies and communities, saving
councils money that could be redirected to other vital frontline
services.

All of the evidence is mounting up in our favour. We’re nearly
there, but the big drinks companies will still be pushing hard to
try to stop the idea. Please share the petition with your
friends, family and colleagues and help persuade the government
to bring back a bottle deposit scheme: