Deposit scheme for plastic bottles to be launched across England

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Cornwall Live


The move is seen as a major victory for environmental campaigners
ByBen Glaze David Thomas
06:50, 28 MAR 2018 UPDATED 07:34, 28 MAR 2018

Plans to charge a deposit on drinks can and plastic and glass bottles look set to be implemented by the Government later this year.

The charge, which is expected to be a minimum of 15p, is seen as a major victory for environmental campaigners, who say it is the only way to drive up recycling rates.

The issue was highlighted during the BBC's Blue Planet II TV series, and has seen Cornwall at the forefront of the campaign to clean up our seas of plastic waste.

Cornwall Live has joined Surfers Against Sewage to launch Plastic Free Cornwall as a rallying cry to every town, business and individual in the duchy to help us win the war against plastics.

Read more: https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/deposit-scheme-plastic-bottles-launched-1392191

[democratisphere]

1. Better late than never UK!

What about the rest of the lazy American states that don't recycle plastic, cans, glass bottles and other recyclable contents? WTF rest of America?!

[forgotmylogin]

8. Deposit a good idea, but re "lazy"...

It's not that certain people in states are "lazy"...for me, it was a matter of the trash pickup service providing a recycle bin and instructing us how to do it. The trash bag is actually a better space use without the air volume of plastic bottles and milk cartons in it. Where I live now we have apartment dumpsters, so to ask me to autonomously gather a separate type of trash and transport it somewhere isn't something I am encouraged to do. Providing a return deposit is a good idea.

I know there are people who comb through the trash looking for aluminum to recycle (they get paid by the pound I think.) Plastic bottles are an easy thing to pick out of trash, so perhaps waste recycling companies should offer a cash bounty for plastic as well.

If it were possible to buy specifically obvious "plastic only recycle trash bags" (make them bright green with a recycle symbol on it) that I could sort plastic into and throw out with the normal trash so it could be easily identified at the trash service, I would do that.

I do keep every plastic shopping bag I get that isn't damaged and re-use it, or if they pile up, I will take them to the supermarket and stuff them in the bag recycle bin they provide.

[watoos]

2. I'm from Pennsylvania

I worked there in the glass industry for over 40 years. Even though Pa. doesn't have a tax on glass bottles we pay for recycled bottles. In the old days trucks would haul coal to NYC to be shipped to China and bring back wino bottles.

Remember this when you choose a package to drink out of, up to 70% of the bottle you drink from is made from recycled glass whether your state has a tax or not. Plastic bottles leach chemicals, especially when left in the sunlight. Plastic bottles are made from oil. Glass is made from recycled bottles, sand, and soda ash.

Glass is the safest package to drink from. Ever see a wine cellar with wine in plastic bottles or cans? I won't get into the theory about what drinking from aluminum cans causes since it isn't proven.

[Mosby]

6. I buy milk in glass bottles

You can really tell the difference in taste.

[Maxheader]

3. Great Idea!!

Was doing that in the 50s..Dad would let me take all the empty glass soda
bottles to town for 3 cents ea...bottles from the farm hands during harvest
and field work.

[Soxfan58]

4. Maine started a bottle deposit program

In 1978. It was amazing the diffrrence of our road side after that.

[ProfessorGAC]

5. Well, That Seems To Make Sense

They probably can't reuse them, but it sort of enforces recycling with both carrot and stick. The carrot is you get your money back and be doing the right thing. The stick is, if you throw them away, you lose the deposit.

I'm not seeing a serious downside to this. I like it better than the "going back to glass" we read about a couple weeks ago, because the extra fuel costs of glass over plastic are abated.

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. The downside could be the cost to run the scheme

The German system is estimated to have cost about £600m (726m euros) as an initial set up, and about £700m (793m euros) annually for maintenance.

There the cost is borne by the retailer but in other countries unclaimed deposits pay for it.

The British Plastics Federation estimates it could cost £1bn to set up a scheme in the UK, and another £1bn a year in running costs.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-43563164

So even if we go for the slightly lower German cost, that's about £10 per person per year. Since a typical British household can already put these bottles in a recycling bin that's collected (and still will be, for the other recyclable items), it's a slightly more inefficient way to recycle them (you have to remember to take your empties to a shop, and spend time handing them over and getting the credit).

[ProfessorGAC]

12. Don't You Think, Muriel. . .

. . .that the incentive of getting the deposit back is strong enough to overcome "forgetting" or just recycling one's self?

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. Yeah, that's the point: those of use who already recycle can do so easily

and this would make it more of a faff, to get back money we'd have to pay. I certainly hope that the cost of collection will be taken from the deposits that aren't reclaimed, rather than retailers having to foot it (which would mean a general increase in the cost of the items, even for people who recycle under the scheme).

I suspect that most of the non-recycled bottles and cans are from casual purchases during the day - someone buys a bottle or can to drink right then, and then throws it away in the nearest public bin (and I don't think I've seen any public bins in the UK with a 'recyclable' section; that might have been a good idea), rather than carrying it around until they get home (or anywhere with a recycling bin). This will now give them an incentive to keep the container until they can reclaim the deposit.

[ProfessorGAC]

17. Hopefully, We're Right

Every piece of metal, plastic or paper ends up in our bin, so i'm all in!

[Betty88]

7. Years ago in NY

We did this, I remember the complaints, but it cleaned up the streets.

[Demonaut]

9. 15p will get a bit of a push back, we'll see

[roamer65]

10. Michigan is 10c.

You may see other trash, but you rarely see a can or bottle.

[politicaljunkie41910]

14. Why lable it a "scheme"? Wasn't there a news report last week about a huge floating dump of plastic

bottles in the Pacific Ocean? The good thing about forcing us to pay recycling charges up front is that it gives people an incentive to recycle; if not you than someone else. Either way, the environment benefits.

[Codeine]

15. Scheme is used differently in the UK.

It is often used where we would say “plan” or “program.”

[politicaljunkie41910]

16. Thanks for the info.