In a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), consumers are charged a small sum of money as a deposit up-front when they buy a drink in a single-use container. This is redeemed when the empty container is returned. In existing schemes in other countries, consumers can return containers to retailers and other take-back points using reverse vending machines or manual return systems to redeem their deposits. The containers are then collected and recycled. The BSDA supports the introduction of a GB-wide DRS.
The soft drinks and bottled water sectors have always taken recycling, littering and the environment very seriously. We lead the industry in recyclable packaging, with plastic bottles and cans easily recyclable and widely collected for recycling across the country.
We are pleased that recycling/recovery rates for drinks containers have increased over the years, but there is still room for improvement. Industry estimates suggest a UK recycling collection rates of 74% for plastic drinks bottles, and 72% for aluminium drinks cans.
In addition to increasing recycling rates above these levels, a well-designed DRS should also improve the quality and increase the quantity of material collected for recycling and reuse as new packaging. This will support the aims of many producers to move to a truly more circular model for packaging, supporting bottle-to-bottle and can-to-can recycling, and towards the circular economy we all want to see.