The government is considering watering down its proposals for a bottle return system (DRS) in a move which has split retail and soft drinks bosses.
Today environment secretary Michael Gove launched a series of consultations following up on the Resources & Waste Strategy, published in December, including plans for a DRS system and the start of a consultation on a plastic tax.
He said the government was considering two options for DRS, a system which could be used for recycling cans, plastic and glass in the UK.
But whilst the first option, a so called “all-in” model, would target a large proportion of drinks beverages placed on the market, a second “on the go” option would limit the scheme to containers of less than 750ml that are sold in single format.
The government said the second model would “target drinks most often sold for consumption outside of the home”.
The BRC said it backed the “on the go model” with the organisation having warned a DRS system across the UK could cost retailers as much as £2bn and could wreck “successful” local authority kerbside schemes.
Read more: Retailers sound warning over plans for DRS to include glass
“We need a targeted DRS system, working across the UK, that complements kerbside recovery,” said BRC head of food Andrew Opie. “The best way is by focusing on cans and plastic bottles drunk and consumed outside the home, to decrease the chances of them littering our streets or ending up in the ocean.
“Targeting on-the-go consumption avoids undermining existing household collection schemes, taking away a key source of revenue for local councils, as well as making life more difficult for households who can currently recycle these items from the comfort of their home.”
“The introduction of a DRS is expected to cost up to £2bn - with deposit return machines needed for high street stores up and down the country. Government must provide the necessary support and funding to ensure the DRS can be a success.”
The BRC said it had held meetings with the Local Government Association (LGA) last week which was “deeply concerned” about the potential impact of a full-scale scheme on council finances.
The FDF also said it preferred a system which built on the success of kerbside recycling.
“FDF members strongly support moves to reduce litter, including marine litter, and to increase recycling in the UK,” said a spokesman.
“Current evidence suggests improving capture rates for packaging consumed on the go is a very sustainable way to increase recycling and reduce littering.
“Care needs to be taken to ensure that all schemes can work in synergy and that any new elements are easy to understand, operate and are cost effective.”
However, the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) said having an “on the go” system risked chaos, especially with the Scottish government already much further down the line with DRS and having signalled plans for a wide-ranging system.
“We believe that it is by having a full-scale DRS system across Great Britain that we can maximise the potential for having a real impact on recycling and having some impact on litter,” said BSDA director general Gavin Partington.
“We have carried out studies which suggest that this is the most effective approach and I have yet to see any evidence to suggest an “on the go” version of DRS would work.”
Partington added that local authority schemes “require overhaul and upheaval anyway” .
Another source said: “The fact is that retailers are facing a perfect storm at the moment with Brexit and the last thing some of them want to be doing is installing reverse vending machines in their stores at a cost of millions of pounds.
“This is why the likes of the BRC are opposing the scheme.”
The Grocer understands the issue has caused a deep split between retailers themselves. Asda and Sainsbury’s are among those strongly opposed to a full-scale rollout, whilst Tesco and Morrisons, who have been trialling the system, are among those backing the idea.
Read more: Public ‘not motivated by financial reward’ of DRS
Campaign groups accused Gove of caving in to pressure. “We need Michael Gove to be strong on this one,” said Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet.
“Already we are seeing signs of the strategy being watered down. We owe it to our children that we step up and do the right thing now and do not falter. In 10 years’ time we will be answerable to them.”
“Over the past 40 years the evidence of the benefits of deposit return systems has only got stronger,” said Samantha Harding, litter programme director at CPRE.
“Depressingly, parts of industry are still making the same false claims and empty promises in an attempt to thwart its introduction, or limit what it includes.”
The government has also yet to decide if the DRS system in the UK will include glass and cover alcoholic as well as soft drinks.
It also faces major pressure from the industry to try to avoid cross-border chaos - in the UK the system is not set to be operational until 2023, but a system in Scotland could be up and running as early as next year.
Today’s proposals on DRS were accompanied by the launch of consultations on what ministers called a “world-leading” tax on plastic packaging which does not meet a minimum threshold of at least 30% recycled content. It also began consultation on an overhaul of the PRN system, which will see packaging producers pay the full cost of dealing with waste.
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