Council recycling officers and retailers have spoken out against the introduction of a deposit return scheme for drinks bottles or cans in the UK, following renewed calls for a review of the initiative.
Deposit return schemes (DRS) see customers pay a small cash deposit when they buy a drink in a can or bottle, and get the money back when they return the item to a collection point.
David Palmer-Jones, chief executive of Suez in the UK has backed calls for a deposit return scheme for bottles
Supporters of such a system, which operates in countries such as Sweden, claim that the measure could reduce litter and boost recycling.
In recent weeks the issue has made national headlines with the Daily Mail campaigning in favour of the idea, and this week Coca Cola Great Britain has also offered its support for deposit schemes (see letsrecycle.com story).
Ministers in Scotland are reviewing proposals for a DRS, however in England there is less backing for the initiative within government.
Councils
The Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC), which represents council recycling officers across the UK, is among those to favour other methods to boost recycling, including direct charging of consumers for waste they produce.
Commenting on the issue, Lee Marshall, chief executive of LARAC, said: “Council collection schemes are mature but still innovating and are increasingly well used by the public. They also represent an efficient and effective way in which to recover post-consumer resources, but currently local authorities are wrongly incurring costs so that producers can meet their responsibilities.
“Therefore, LARAC believes that instead of introducing a deposit return scheme work should be undertaken to explore and develop policy that directs appropriate funding from producers to local authorities to expand and enhance the collection services.”
Other critics of deposit systems suggest that they are costly, particularly where they involve reverse vending machines, whilst they can also be open to the potential for fraud.
Retailers
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) which represents the UK’s retail sector has voiced its opposition to the measure, claiming that it could drive up costs for retailers.
Andrew Opie, the director of food and sustainability at the BRC, said: “The retail industry is committed to long-term action to boost recycling and further protect the environment. Low recycling rates and litter need to be tackled head-on but quick fix solutions won’t tackle the root of the problem.
“These kind of short-term measures would place a significant burden on hard-pressed consumers and also drive up costs for retailers. We need a broader and more long-term approach to improving household recycling rates and reducing litter.”
However, despite opposition from councils and retailers, the resources and waste firm Suez has come out in favour of the introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), with the company’s chief executive of recycling and recovery in the UK David Palmer-Jones arguing that the measure would help to ‘reinvigorate’ recycling.
“LARAC believes that instead of introducing a deposit return scheme work should be undertaken to explore and develop policy that directs appropriate funding from producers to local authorities to expand and enhance the collection services.”
Lee Marshall
LARAC
He said: “A bottle deposit scheme, starting with plastic containers, is a practical first step towards more circular industrial practices and is just one of the forms of Government intervention our sector has been calling for, within a wider package of measures, to ensure that the UK’s emerging industrial strategy is a sustainable one. This really is a win-win solution for the environment, manufacturers and ordinary households who are ready to help bring about change.
“At the moment, government seems to be quick to rule-out the introduction of various schemes such as this, but we have yet to see much in the way of positive alternative direction from them in addressing the problems we face with both flat-lining recycling rates and litter.”
Phil Conran of consultancy 360 Environmental, told letsrecycle.com that there were a variety of views on the topic. However, he said there would be some concerns about the implementation aspect for retailers who could be asked to handle, store and dispose of returned containers.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Packaging
