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The deposit return scheme (DRS), which would see small cash deposits or vouchers being given out in exchange for used cans and bottles, has been under development for seven years with an initial consultation process to look at how it could work launched in 2017.
A DRS covering England, Wales and Northern Ireland, was set to be introduced in 2025. Scotland’s had previously been delayed while Ireland’s went live on 1 February.
In response, The Federation of Independent Retailers’ (The Fed) national president Muntazir Dipoti, said: “We will be deeply disappointed if the DRS is indeed delayed until 2028. [We have] always believed the scheme has huge potential to boost recycling and curb litter, two issues which impact on everyone’s environment and quality of life.
“By learning from the flawed scheme in Scotland which caused us concern, we hoped that a UK-wide scheme would be operational long before 2028.”
Danone, whose brands include Evian and Volvic, told newspaper i that the company were “disappointed” by the delay.
The company said: “It is currently challenging to get the quality and quantity of recycled material we need here in the UK, and we believe a deposit return scheme (DRS) would significantly improve this.
“A unified, consistent DRS would increase recycling rates, help keep plastic out of nature and help us to achieve circularity targets. So, we are disappointed to hear that there is likely to be a further delay to the DRS.
“Danone UK & Ireland fully supports the implementation of a DRS and so we are ready to work across the industry and with government to achieve the new date and prevent any further delays.”
Campaigners at City to Sea who have led the calls for an “all in DRS” have expressed “sadness and frustration” at the delays.
City to Sea’s policy manager, Steve Hynd, said: “More delays on such an important law leave me with a feeling of sadness, and frustration.
“Sadness because when a DRS is delivered well it can not only drive up recycling and drive down littering, but it can also lay the foundations for reusable packing in a truly circular economy.
“But there is also a huge sense of frustration for it is also a sign of sheer foolishness from government for such important legislation to be so repeatedly delayed.
“Apart from the obvious environmental impact these delays are having, it is also causing havoc in the private sector.
“The transition from single-use to reuse isn’t, and can never be, about ‘leaps of faith’ from business but about ‘leaps of legislation’ from government.
“The Conservative Party promised us such action with an all-in DRS in their 2019 manifesto.
“But the only thing that has been delivered is delays.
“That we still do not have a DRS in place is a damning reflection on their timidity in government.
“I just hope after the election we see some environmental political leadership.”
Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet, commented: “We are facing yet another delay in a long running DRS saga that continues to show this Government’s inability to implement solid measures to tackle the waste crisis we are in the midst of.
“A DRS is good, but it should be the very first step on the road to a plastic free circular economy, and it’s a step we should have taken decades ago.”
“While the government has hesitated, industries are forging ahead, adopting simpler, more efficient solutions. Standardised returnable packaging, truly natural materials that work with the planet and not against.
“These are the tools that will break us from the mindless use of plastic we have become accustomed to. We can no longer afford the delay and distraction of prime minister Sunak’s government.”
