England to introduce bottle deposit scheme

All plastic, glass or metal drinks containers in England are to become the subject of a new returnable deposit scheme in a bid to reduce pollution and encourage recycling.

Full details of the scheme, including the cost of the deposit and the funding of the return process, have yet to be revealed, but prices of similar schemes across Europe range from 8p in Sweden to 22p in Germany.

It is hoped the move will have a similar impact to the introduction of charges for single use plastic bags in the United Kingdom in 2015, which have contributed to an 83 percent reduction in their use.

The issue of plastic pollution in the world's seas was highlighted in the recent BBC documentary series Blue Planet II, and Environment Secretary Michael Gove said he hoped the deposit scheme would bring an end to discarded plastic "wreaking havoc" on the environment.

"We have already banned harmful microbeads and cut plastic bag use, and now we want to take action on plastic bottles to help clean up our oceans," he said.

"We need to see a change in attitudes and behavior. And the evidence shows that reward and return schemes are a powerful agent of change."

Plans for a similar scheme in Scotland have already been announced, and a study has been launched in Wales to investigate the subject.

Consumers in the UK use around 13 billion plastic drinks bottles a year, but a significant amount are not currently recycled.

Environmental pressure groups have welcomed the prospect of a deposit scheme.

Samantha Harding, of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said she was "thrilled" and called it a "brilliant and significant decision by Michael Gove.

"What's 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," she added.

The British Retail Consortium gave the news a cautious welcome but said it hoped the costs to the retailer would be proportionate.

Andrew Opie, the Consortium's director of food and sustainability, also said he hoped it would be part of a "more coordinated, comprehensive approach" around the wider issue of plastic packaging and manufacturer responsibility.