The letter was sent to Rishi Sunak soon after he scrapped a number of net-zero policies last week, including plans for household to have “seven bins” (see letsrecycle.com story).
According to the letter, for net-zero to be achieved by 2050 in line with government targets, stagnant recycling rates will need to rise “significantly”, and a DRS “will provide infrastructure to do just that at no cost to the taxpayer.”
It was co-signed by the likes of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Pepsico and Suntory, as well as the the Federation of Independent Retailers and the WWF.
“If drinks manufacturers and retailers are to reach Net Zero, they will need to reduce the carbon footprint of their packaging – the most effective way of achieving this is through the introduction of a deposit return scheme,” the letter continued.
The letter was sent around a month after the British Retail Consortium, which counts some of the largest retailers as its members, called on the government to review the DRS warning it could cost up to £1.8 billion (see letsrecycle.com story).
DRS
Defra outlined in January this year that a deposit return scheme will begin in October 2025 in England Wales and Northern Ireland.
The collapse of the Scottish scheme earlier this year means the country will also roll it out in line with the rest of the UK.
Drinks containers made from PET plastic, steel, and aluminium cans will be in scope. The Welsh government has insisted that its system will also include glass, which the Scottish government was blocked from doing.
The exact fee will be determined by a deposit management organisation (DMO), which is due to be set up next year.
Quality
In the letter to the PM, it was also noted that a DRS can provide the high-quality recycling “needed to help the UK move towards a circular economy for drinks packaging”.
The environment is “paying the price for not having a better waste collection system for drinks containers”, according to the letter, which also said the DRS would reduce littering by 85%.
The letter concluded: “We urge all governments of the UK to act in the interests of the environment and agree to implement an aligned and interoperable scheme in deposit level, timeline, scope and fees, thus giving all actors certainty and confidence the UK supply chain will not be compromised.”
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