Bottle Bill - Deposit System in the UK
Lets Recycle
29th April 2008
On Friday, Mrs Ruddock also commented on the possibility of a national deposit system for drinks containers to encourage the public to return them to where they were bought from, and thereby increase recycling.
This follows lobbying by the Campaign to Protect Rural England for a new bottle deposit law, in which consumers would pay 10p extra to buy drinks, which would then be refunded when they returned the container.
The charity claims that while the average household disposes of 500 plastic bottles a year, only 130 are currently recycled, meaning that 370 go to landfill or create litter.
Responding to a question raised by David Kidney, Labour MP for Stafford, Mrs Ruddock said that the government would look at deposit schemes as one of a "range of ideas to improve the collection of material for recycling, including drinks containers consumed inside and outside of the home."
However, she pointed out that such schemes had been unsuccessful in the past because they were uneconomic.
Edie (Environmental Data Interactive Exchange)
20 April 2008
CPRE call for bottle deposit scheme
CPRE president Bill Bryson and the Wombles launched the campaign in London's Leicester Square (Copyright CPRE)
Consumers could be paid for recycling their plastic bottles under a scheme proposed by the Campaign to Protect Rural England.
CPRE president Bill Bryson and the Wombles launched the campaign in London's Leicester Square (Copyright CPRE)
An extra 10 pence would be added to the cost of goods such as drinks which would be returned to the consumer after the bottle is taken to collection points.
The organisation is lobbying for the bottle deposit system as part of its three-year Stop the Drop campaign against litter and fly-tipping, which was launched by CPRE president and author Bill Bryson last week.
UK households use an average of 500 plastic bottles a year, and just 130 of these are recycled while the rest head for landfill or end up littering towns and countryside.
Earlier this year, an annual survey of local authorities by litter watchdog Encams revealed that average performance on cleaning up litter has slipped from satisfactory to unsatisfactory.
Stop the Drop campaigner Mardi MacGregor told edie: "No local authority is rated good, which is very disappointing, given that it's a statutory requirement."
Local authorities are also failing to punish offenders, despite being given powers to fine people for littering and fly-tipping, the CPRE said.
Mr Bryson said: "The total sum of fines for littering collected nationally last year was just slightly over £1.5m - or about one-fifteenth of what the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea collects annually in parking fines.
"Of the 43,624 fines levied, only 26,818 were actually paid. And 72 out of 354 local authorities issued no penalties at all."
CPRE is calling for Government to set local authorities targets for clearing up litter and encourage them to punish offenders.
Miss MacGregor said: "From talking to local authorities they are actually quite supportive of our campaign.
"They find at the moment that they do not have the resources and litter is not a Government target so at the moment money is being diverted to other targets."
The organisation is also encouraging people to support its campaign by complaining to their local authority about litter.
Kate Martin
ARE WE LOSING OUR BOTTLE?
20 April 2008 - Eamonn Holmes
There's been a call this week for a deposit system on glass and plastic bottles and cans to help with litter and recycling. About time - but will it work?
When I was a youngster, returning bottles to shops was the norm and it was a great way of making money.
Down I'd go to the post office to buy my national savings stamps. But then 10p was two whole shillings. I doubt if a 10 pence refund will have quite the same allure for today's youngsters.
In my day the cash was the important thing - let's hope today's lot care more about the planet, because at that financial rate of return, that's probably all they'll be saving. MORE>>
Call for 10p deposit on plastic bottles to keep Britain tidy
Liz Gyekye
17 Apr 2008
An environmental charity is calling on the Government to introduce a deposit on plastic bottles and cans to help reduce litter that blights Britain’s streets.
The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) is urging the Government to introduce a scheme which would pay out 10 pence for every drinks can and plastic water bottle recycled.
Launching a nationwide campaign to tackle litter and fly-tipping the group said that each household disposes of 500 plastic bottles per year. Only 130 of these are recycled per year while the rest end up in landfill or on the streets as litter.
If the deposit scheme was implemented drinks manufacturers would add 10p to the price of every bottle or can sold. The consumer or whoever picked up the container from the street, would then collect the 10p deposit when they returned the bottle to the retailer or recycling collection point.
The manufacturer could make money from selling the containers for recycling, while cleaner streets would mean fewer costs to the taxpayer.
CPRE spokeswoman said: “Litter is so bad that people are now dropping litter and expecting someone else to clean it up. We have to reverse the mindset of people. If we did not drop litter we would not have to propose this scheme in the first place.
"The CPRE will be lobbying the Government for more leadership to tackle litter and fly-tipping.”
Similar schemes are already in place in south Australia, Germany, Sweden and the US, where 11 states have ‘bottle bills’ with a 5 cent deposit added to the price of each drink.
Minster for Environment Joan Ruddock said: “Waste solutions have to make both environmental and economic sense if they are to be successful. Deposit and return schemes died out in this country because they did not make financial sense.
“Until their environmental benefits are more clear cut we are not currently persuaded that implementing them would be justified. We wouldn't entirely rule them out because we are looking at innovative ideas for better collection of materials that get discarded on the street.”
Campaigners call for bottle deposit law
Customers could be made to pay a deposit for bottles
Written by: Emma Eversham
The Campaign to Protect Rural England is putting pressure on the government to introduce a bottle deposit law to help clear the countryside of litter.
According to the CPRE, each household throws away 500 plastic bottles a year, but only recycles 130 of them – leaving 370 to go to landfill or litter the streets.
However, if drinks retailers added 10p to the price of bottles and refunded the customer when they returned it for recycling, the CPRE thinks it would lead to a cleaner environment.
CPRE president and author Bill Bryson said: “None of us need stand idly by as our towns and countryside are trashed. Of course it is vital that people do not drop litter in the first place, but local authorities, central government and other public bodies have a duty to clear it up and should all give a much stronger lead on the problem. We can all put pressure on them to do so.”
Deposit schemes are already in place in a number of countries, including Australia, Germany, Denmark and Sweden.
Joan Ruddock may bring back deposit charges for bottles
Valerie Elliott, Countryside Editor
Bottle deposit charges and cash in exchange for the return of used bottles and cans are being considered by Joan Ruddock, the Minister for Waste.
She has ordered a feasibility study after the call in The Times by Bill Bryson, president of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), for a national offensive to clear the highways and byways of litter blight.
He suggested redeemable deposits on every drink container sold because it gave litter a value and encouraged groups such as Scouts, the homeless, churches and others to use empties to raise funds. When deposits were introduced in Iowa 20 years ago litter was reduced by 70 per cent because people picked litter up in exchange for cash.
Ms Ruddock said: “I have asked officials to look at novel ways on how we deal with the worst litter offenders, which are bottles and cans. It may be possible to devise a scheme where people deposit used bottles and cans and get a reward. I can see the attraction of take-back schemes with a reward.”
She was particularly keen to explore possible use of vending machines to take back empties, she said. Leading manufacturers and reverse vending machine operators are to be consulted about such a plan.
Ms Ruddock said: “If only we could find a way of capturing the cans of those who drink in the street so they are not thrown on the street. If people consume on the street they are extremely unlikely to take empties home. We need to find more novel and creative ways instead of ending up with overflowing bins.”
She is particularly keen to develop a return scheme for soft drinks cans because the aluminium is expensive and can be used extensively in recycling.
She admitted there was much work to do to formulate new policies but she confirmed: “I am happy to look again at this issue. There was some work done a few years ago on deposit schemes but they were not seen as effective in encouraging recycling. But dealing with litter is different.”
The CPRE’s Stop the Drop campaign begins formally today. Hundreds of people have already pledged to help to clean up their community and nominations are being invited to identify “grot spots” nationwide.
Bryson makes clear in The Times today that he does not expect people to challenge litter louts directly and risk abuse or injury.
His call to action is not about vigilantism, though he admitted that he had a confrontation recently with a young man who had thrown the left-overs of his fish and chip supper near Victoria station in London.
He said: “Son, you know you live in a really beautiful country, you ought to love it . . . I thought ‘He’s going to deck me’.”
But the lout agreed, admitted he was drunk and picked up the wrappers. In other cases Bryson has been wary. He said: “I haven't said anything to them because they do it in such a conspicuous way they’re making a statement and it’s not worth getting knifed or punched in the face.”
He is also not banking on signing up the National Trust to his crusade after disclosing details of a recent run-in with the country's biggest landowner.
He is horrified about the amount of litter blighting the Trust’s Dovedale estate in the south Peak District and at a Trust car park along the South Downs Way.
He has already written to ask the Trust to install litter bins at Dovedale but his request was refused.
Bryson said: “It feels that litter bins attract more litter, and it feels that by not having litter bins there it is encouraging people to take litter away with them.
“My argument is that by not having litter bins there it is encouraging people to drop litter. And I do genuinely feel that the impression that bodies such as the National Trust give, in a situation like that, is that they are completely indifferent to litter.”
He is scathing about the Trust and accuses it of being in a state of denial. “It says that a litter bin would be an intrusion, that it would spoil the bucolic scene. But it doesn’t seem to feel the same way about donation boxes. So I think it’s a difference of philosophy there, but I have to say that my experience with the National Trust in that respect is very disappointing.”
He intends to write again about the car park but said: “And again it will get me nowhere.”
A spokeswoman at the Trust said she was unable to comment about the lack of bins.
Bottle deposits planned to battle litter
By Sophie Borland 16/04/2008
Bottle deposits could return in a government attempt to reduce litter.
Fly-tipping is trashing countryside, says CPRE
Joan Ruddock, the minister for waste, has ordered a feasibility study of the proposals, which would see cash incentives for returning empties.
The Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs is keen to reduce the number of discarded bottles and cans, which it regards as the "worst litter offenders".
It is also considering reverse vending machines that would give cash back for used bottles and cans, and is talking to the makers of such machines.
The study follows suggestions from Bill Bryson, the US-born travel author, who is also president of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), for a take-back scheme. A similar project in his home state of Iowa saw litter reduced by 70 per cent.
He said it gave litter a value and helped groups such as the Scouts, the homeless and churches to raise funds.
Miss Ruddock said: "I have asked officials to look at how we deal with the worst litter offenders, which are bottles and cans. It may be possible to devise a scheme where people deposit used bottles and cans and get a reward. I can see the attraction of take-back schemes with a reward.
"If only we could find a way of capturing the cans of those who drink in the street so they are not thrown on the street. If people consume on the street they are extremely unlikely to take empties home. We need to find more novel and creative ways instead of ending up with overflowing bins."
She said she was particularly keen to devise ways to encourage people to return drinks cans, as aluminium is expensive and can be recycled.
She confirmed: "I am happy to look again at this issue. There was some work done a few years ago on deposit schemes but they were not seen as effective in encouraging recycling. But dealing with litter is different." There was still much work to be done.
The initiative comes as the CPRE launches its "stop the drop" campaign today to encourage the public to clean up litter.
INTRODUCTION OF 10P DEPOSIT SYSTEM ON PLASTIC BOTTLES
Wed 16th Apr 2008
Campaign to Protect Rural England
Councillor Nicola Turner (Liberal Democrat Member in Colne Valley Ward) is backing campaigners' calls for a 10p deposit system on plastic bottles to be introduced to help reduce waste, litter and environmental damage in Kirklees and across the UK. She also wants to see manufactures face up to their environmental responsibilities.
The Campaign to Protect Rural England is pushing the initiative with the Government as part of its "Stop the Drop" campaign (1). Under the proposal, 10p would be added to the cost of every item sold in a plastic bottle which people would then be able to redeem by dropping it off at a shop or collection point. The manufacturers would then make money by selling on the containers for recycling.
Cllr Turner says: "13 billion plastic bottles are disposed of in Britain each year with the average household in Kirklees being responsible for 500 of them. Some will end up being recycled but many, many, more, possibly up to 80%, will end up going in the general waste."
"The introduction of a 10p deposit system would provide people with a financial incentive to recycle their plastic bottles, reducing wastage and the amount of litter on our streets."
"It would also mean that manufacturers could no longer refuse to take responsibility for the waste their products produce at the end of the consumer chain. At the moment, as soon as a plastic bottle goes into the domestic waste stream it is gone and the tax payer foots the bill which is unfair. Under this scheme the bottle would be returned to the manufacturer who would either have to incur a loss themselves by paying for its disposal or look to make a profit by selling it for recycling. Up until now there has been no real incentive for manufactures to change the way they operate and so many haven't. But this has the potential to change that situation".
"Similar systems are already in place in South Australia, Germany and Sweden and the US there they are all successful and popular."
"The key to the success is to make sure that people can return their bottles to as many shops as possible or to one of many local collection points. What I wouldn't want to see is people getting in their cars to drop off their bottles. This would be counter productive."
"It's just a reinvention of the old deposit system we had on glass pop bottles. If it were introduced nationally I could see young people going out gathering up waste bottles to pocket the extra cash. So, getting young people actively involved in improving their local environment would just be another added benefit of this campaign".
Cllr Turner's support comes shortly after Kirklees Council committed itself to becoming the UK's first plastic bag free large urban council. A Liberal Democrat motion which won all party support on this issue was successfully passed in December 07.
"We want Kirklees to be the first zero waste authority in the UK. Schemes which draw attention to how much we waste and provide incentives for people to make real changes in their day-today lives must be introduced. People can lend their support to the campaign by visiting www.cpre.org.uk."
Campaigners call for 10p deposit on drink cans and bottles
By OLINKA KOSTER -15th April 2008
Countryside campaigners are calling for a deposit system on plastic bottles and cans to help reduce unsightly litter.
The Campaign to Protect Rural England is urging the Government to introduce a scheme which would pay out 10p for every drinks container returned.
Launching a nationwide campaign to tackle litter and fly-tipping, the CPRE praised the Daily Mail's "Banish the Bags" campaign.
This culminated in Alistair Darling's Budget announcement last month to force supermarkets to charge for single-use plastic bags unless they introduce their own voluntary charges.
Yesterday, the campaign group said that as well as throwing away hundreds of bags each year, each household disposes of 500 plastic bottles in the same period.
Only 130 of these are recycled while the rest end up in landfill or in streets, fields and hedgerows.
The deposit scheme would add 10p to the price of every bottle or can sold. This would be returned to the consumer - or anyone picking up an empty bottle or beer can in the street - either by the retailer or at a recycling collection point.
The manufacturer could make money from selling the containers for recycling, while cleaner streets would mean fewer costs to the taxpayer.
Similar schemes are already in place in South Australia, Germany, Sweden and the U.S., where 11 states have "bottle bills" with a 5 cent deposit added to the price of each drink.
"The CPRE will be lobbying the Government for more leadership to tackle litter and flytipping," said a spokesman.
"We supported the Banish the Bags campaign and the announcement in the recent Budget that supermarkets may have to charge to issue single-use plastic bags was a step in the right direction.
"We now want to see action to introduce a nationwide deposit system for drinks containers similar to that in many other countries.
"We will be making it clear we aren't happy that the Government has provided a convincing answer to this issue."
The writer Bill Bryson, who is spearheading the charity's Stop the Drop anti-littering campaign, said: "Litter is becoming the default condition of the countryside.
"It is time that all of us did something about this. The landscape is too lovely to trash.
"Of course it is vital that people do not drop litter in the first place, but local authorities, central Government and other public bodies have a duty to clear it up and should all give a much stronger lead on the problem.
"We can all put pressure on them to do so."
Last night, Minister for Waste Joan Ruddock said: "Waste solutions have to make both environmental and economic sense if they are to be successful.
"Deposit and return schemes died out in this country because they did not make financial sense.
"Until their environmental benefits are more clear cut, we are not currently persuaded that implementing them would be justified.
"We wouldn't entirely rule them out because we are looking at innovative ideas for better collection of materials that get discarded on the streets.'
The Independant - 12/09/2007
The Conservative Parties quality-of- life policy group,
The quality of life policy review, chaired by former environment secretary John Gummer and green campaigner Zac Goldsmith, will focus on domestic energy use, transport and taxation.
The Tories' quality-of- life policy group which publishes its final report tomorrow, will recommend council tax rebates for people who recycle their waste. Council tax bills would show people how much they pay to have their rubbish collected and waste recycled.
It also proposes measures to curb waste caused by excessive packaging. The group says this could mean consumers paying a 20p deposit for a drinks bottle which would be refunded when they returned it to a reverse-vending machine. People would bring home less food packaging from supermarkets because manufacturers would be driven to reduce unnecessary packaging by "take back" schemes. Remaining packaging would be recyclable or compostable. more >>>
Product levies and deposit refund systems
A number of countries, including Finland, Denmark, Germany and Italy, have introduced a charge on environmentally damaging products such as non-rechargeable batteries or non-refillable or nonrecyclable drinks packaging.
In most cases the charge is used to fund collection and recycling schemes, but in some cases the charge is levied explicitly to shift consumer behaviour from these products towards better alternatives – for example, better types of packaging. It could also be used to discourage one-time use, disposable products that currently can’t be recycled. Other countries such as the US have made good use of deposit – refund systems for some types of drinks packaging e.g. glass and PET bottles.
Such a system could be a popular way of encouraging the public to recycle outside the home where recycling systems are currently few and far between.
What could all this mean…
…for packaging?
_ You pay a 20 pence deposit for a drinks bottle that is refunded to you when you return it to a reverse-vending machine in your high street. Click here for full story >>>>
Call for packaging deposit scheme for Scotland
(Letsrecycle.com-
The Scotsman newspaper - 20.07.06)
Anti-litter crusading MSP Mike Pringle is urging the Liberal Democrats to support a proposal for a new deposit scheme for packaging in Scotland.
Mr Pringle, the man behind the bid for a plastic carrier bag levy in Scotland, hopes his party will include the deposit scheme proposal in its next election manifesto.
Writing in The Scotsman newspaper today, Mr Pringle argued that deposit schemes would provide incentives for people to hand back their old bottles and cans for recycling.
He is proposing that the scheme might involve a 10p or 20p levy on the sale of each bottled or canned product, which would be refunded to shoppers when handed in for recycling.
Mr Pringle said: "Container deposit schemes, as they are known, have proven hugely successful at reducing litter and increasing recycling in countries across the world.
Value
The Edinburgh South MSP dismissed concerns that the scheme wouldn't work, citing deposit schemes in America, Canada, Denmark, Germany and Sweden as having raised recycling rates and reduced litter.
He said: "By putting a value on bottles, we give people a real incentive to return and recycle. Those who choose not to return their bottles will miss out, but we will all benefit as unclaimed deposits would be used by councils to improve their litter and waste services."
Mr Pringle suggested that a national deposit scheme in Scotland could involve retailer recycling facilities, reverse-vending machines or alternative collection points.
"I will be pressing for the policy to be in the next Liberal Democrat manifesto. It's time to go back to the future and use an old idea for a new purpose," he concluded".
See Also: (The Scotsman
Thu 20 Jul 2006)
Have we the bottle to make a change?
THE issues of tackling climate change and protecting our environment are increasingly at the top of the political and public agenda - and rightly so.
http://news.scotsman.com/opinion.cfm?id=1055882006
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