BPF Respond to Motion on Bottle Deposit Systems

In response to the  early day motion 656 - Bottle Deposit Return Scheme by Caroline Lucas MP on Tuesday 8 November, the British Plastics Federation (BPF) have prepared the following statement:

The early day motion by Caroline Lucas MP may not fully consider the impacts of introducing a deposit return scheme (DRS) or current research on litter composition. Bottles account for only 2.5% of littered items in England (Keep Britain Tidy Litter Composition Survey of England, 2014). The evidence from other countries indicates that DRSs are very expensive to introduce, have a high cost for local councils, and can cause inconvenience for consumers. In Germany, the cost of collection per item through the DRS is three times as high as a kerbside system (INCPEN Factsheet Packaging & Deposits).  The introduction of such a system is likely to undermine the existing kerbside collection operated by local councils as well as penalise consumers who already recycle at home. The industry would welcome the opportunity to discuss recycling and litter with politicians, and encourages the involvement of relevant stakeholders in discussions of legislative proposals.