Michael Gove unveils plans for a plastic bottle refund scheme to drive up recycling rates
ENVIRONMENT Secretary Michael Gove is poised to unveil plans for a plastic bottle return scheme to slash Britain’s mountain of waste.
The Cabinet big-hitter is preparing to announce radical proposals to drive up recycling rates in a matter of days.
Brits would get a voucher or money when they take a plastic bottle back to a high street vending machine.
Industry sources told The Sun the announcement of a formal consultation scheme could come as early as Sunday – ahead of a keynote speech by Mr Gove next Wednesday.
Britain is thought to use nearly 40 million plastic bottles everyday – but only half make it to recycling with over 16 million dumped into landfill, burnt or thrown in the sea.
Under the Government’s plans, a network of ‘reverse’ vending machines would be rolled out. A small deposit would be added to plastic bottles.
The vending machine would read a bar code on the side and deliver a refund.
The Department for Environment declined to comment.
But insiders told The Sun: “We’re being told to wait for the speech – there will be a commitment to doing this.”
The revelation came as new figures claimed the amount of plastic waste could soar by a fifth by the end of the next decade.
The WWF said UK consumers could be throwing away 9 per cent more drinks bottles and 30 per cent more disposable drink cups by 2030 without action.
Michael Gove called deposit return schemes a “great idea” last October but said more work would have to be carried out before the Government could commit to rolling it out.
A working group has been studying the idea since the Autumn – but the conclusions are yet to be published. In Germany and Denmark – which have deposit return schemes – more than 90 per cent of bottles are returned.
Since taking over as Environment Secretary he has won over green groups with a blitz on waste – revealing plans to extend a plastic bag charge to small shops and in February suggesting plastic straws could be banned.
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Mr Gove pledged to combat plastic pollution after admitting he was “haunted” by the BBC’s eco smash Blue Planet II.
The British Soft Drinks Association said it would be fully behind the plan. Gavin Partington BSDA director general told The Sun: “We’d be very supportive.”
Labour’s Mary Creagh, head of the cross-party Environment Select Committee, gave it a muted welcome.
She said: “Michael Gove has already hinted at this once before. Perhaps it’s second time lucky.”
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