BOTTLE DEPOSIT RETURN SCHEME

That this House notes that a staggering 38.5 million plastic bottles are used every day in the UK and that, along with cans, plastic bottles account for approximately 40 per cent, by volume, of all litter found in our environment; believes that a Deposit Return System will help ensure that these bottles and cans stay in the recycling economy rather than polluting our environment; further notes that Deposit Return Systems were commonplace in the UK until the 1980s, and are successfully used in 11 other European countries with recycling rates often in excess of 90 per cent; welcomes the success of the five pence single-use carrier bag charge in England, which has reduced the distribution of plastic bags by 6 billion bags in its first six months; believes that a Deposit Return Scheme would help to dramatically increase the collection rate of plastic bottles and other containers, helping to protect the environment and to save local authorities and taxpayers money; and calls on the Government to follow the example of other nations and introduce a mandatory Deposit Return Scheme in the UK by including it in the National Litter Strategy.