More delays on Deposit Return Scheme: we need your support

The current consultation on a Deposit Return Scheme for England, Wales and Northern Ireland presents a great opportunity to get involved and make your opinions heard. This stage isn’t just for businesses and experts, but for anyone who might use the system and thinks it could work better.

A Deposit Return Scheme would involve customers paying a small deposit on top of the price of their drink. When finished, the drinks container would be returned to a collection point, in a supermarket or shop for example, where the deposit could be collected. This sort of system would reduce littering and also encourage others to pick up drinks litter they come across, to redeem the deposit. It’s a simple idea that would have an immediate impact. 

Drinks containers have been a constant presence on UK beaches we started our beach clean surveys in 1994. Over the last five years, an average of 45 drinks containers were found on every 100m of UK beach surveyed and cleared by our volunteers.

This consultation is where you come in! We’ve been working with other environmental organisations to outline the main things we’d like to see in a Deposit Return Scheme. To make it easier for you, we’ve written up a 5 and 15 minute response to the consultation which addresses the main questions it seeks to answer.

You can find the 5 minute response here.

And the 15 minute response here.

Even better, if you feel strongly about certain parts of the scheme, then writing from your own perspective is a huge bonus, really showing how the Deposit Return Scheme would impact you for the better.

Once you're ready, head to the Deposit Return Scheme consultation

We’ll be sure to keep you updated on the progress of the Deposit Return Scheme, thanks for your help!