Research from Nature 2030 campaigners has brought to light intense frustrations from the public towards UK supermarkets, which are said to fare worse with plastic use compared to France, Germany and Spain.
Government figures suggest more than 12 billion single-use plastic bottles were sold across the UK last year.
While half of Brits worry about the health impact of plastic, 49% say they are more likely to shop at supermarkets which stamp out single-use plastic altogether.
Earlier in 2025, representatives of major UK supermarkets, including Tesco, Lidl and ASDA, are said to have “demanded” a delay to DRS, due to come into force in October 2027.
Last week, ministers appointed an industry-led management body to administer the deposit return scheme, but environmental campaigners have blasted the announcement, suggesting supermarkets are being left to “mark their own homework” and prioritise profits over the planet.
Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet & Plastic Health Council, said: “Britain’s plastic crisis can no longer be ignored. Supermarkets are turning a blind eye to the mountains of waste they produce each year, and they will not clean up their act alone; ministers must legislate.
“While the government is taking action to boost the recycling single-use bottles though a deposit return scheme, this is a drop in the ocean. Plastic production is set to rise exponentially, and beverage containers are a fraction of plastic waste, if we are to see any real change, wholesale reduction in the production of plastic is desperately needed for the health of not only the planet but our bodies.”
‘We need comprehensive change’
Polly Billington, Labour MP for East Thanet and Commons Net Zero Committee member, said: “While the public grows increasingly concerned about the health impacts of mountains of unrecycled waste, supermarkets continue to generate millions of tonnes of unnecessary plastic packaging each year, leaving it to already over-stretched councils to clean up our beaches and natural beauty spots.
“The deposit return scheme is a start, but we need comprehensive change from businesses to drive genuine reduction in plastic production, not just recycling targets that mask the true scale of the problem.”
Dominic Dyer, chair of Nature 2030, said: “With the biggest high street retailers now sitting on the board of Britain’s recycling scheme for single-use bottles, there are serious concerns about whether they will put profits before environmental protection.
“Why should billion-pound companies be deciding our environmental laws when their track record shows they are clearly cannot be trusted?”
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