Comprehensive DRS could provide £2bn boost

Campaigners have argued that a comprehensive deposit return scheme for plastic bottles, cans and glass could boost the economy by £2 billion.

The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England says that the government data indicates that a more restricted scheme, for bottles of 750ml and under only, would benefit the economy by just £250 million. Therefore, they are urging the government to pursue a more comprehensive scheme when a decision is announced this Summer.

Among the benefits highlighted are an expected reduction in the amount of waste sent to landfill, lower clean up costs from littered drink containers, reduced air and water pollution, and a likely rise in recycling rates across the country.

Maddy Haughton-Boakes, a litter campaigner at CPRE, said: “This is yet more evidence of the positive impact that a deposit return system will have on the whole of society. Taking us towards a circular economy, we will recycle almost all of the drinks cans and bottles we consume, slow down the depletion of scarce resources and reduce carbon emissions, all of which will have a lasting positive impact for our countryside and environment. The government has an opportunity to ensure England gets the most effective and economically viable deposit system in the world.”