Deposit Return Scheme in UK Excludes Glass Bottle: 'Missed Opportunity'

The United Kingdom is pushing forward with its efforts for sustainability. Their latest plan is a deposit return scheme for drink containers, but it doesn't include glass bottles.

UK's Deposit Return Scheme Proposal

According to the government, they use more than 20 billion bottles and cans yearly, and many end up in landfills. To minimize the amount of waste from bottles, they proposed to the supermarket to host "reverse vending machines" where bottles are returned for cash, BBC reported.

The scheme will be introduced to England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2025. However, it will only include plastic bottles and cans.

Environment minister Rebecca Pow said the goal is to provide a simple and effective system across the country to reduce litter and make recycling easier even when moving.

Waste management is a devolved matter in the UK. However, Westminster, the Welsh government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland are working together on the plans.

Deposit Return Scheme Excluding Glass Bottles Criticized

Since the purpose of the deposit return scheme was to manage waste for drink products, the exclusion of glass bottles left some disappointed.

Megan Randles from Greenpeace UK questioned why glass bottles were not included. She questioned if glass drink containers were not an essential part of the system designed to collect drink containers.

Conservative MP Philip Dunne, who chairs the Environmental Audit Committee, echoed Randles' sentiment. For him, it was a "missed opportunity." However, he clarified that he welcomed the announcement but was disappointed that it wouldn't start until 2025.

Meanwhile, soft drink manufacturers welcomed the proposal. There will be a period of consultation to prepare the infrastructure to change the labelling and make the deposit return system smooth.

Daniel Webb, who runs Everyday Plastic, an organization that campaigns against plastic waste, also supported the announcement. He told BBC the scheme is an opportunity to switch from the throwaway culture to a real circular economy.

England to Ban Single-Use Plastic

While the deposit return system is still two years away, England will implement the ban on single-use plastics later this year. UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs released an announcement restricting the sale of plastic cutlery, plates, bowls, trays, balloon sticks and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers.

England has been ardent in fighting plastic pollution. Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said they were proud of their efforts in banning plastics in the country because they saw results.

For instance, before the ban, straws, stirrers and cotton buds contributed 5.7% of marine litter. After the ban, cotton bud sticks were no longer UK's top 1 most common beach litter item.

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