Retailers need to “get on board” with popular litter-busting scheme, says Keep Britain Tidy

Keep Britain Tidy has voiced frustration after further calls were made by a major trade association to push back plans to bring in a deposit return scheme for drinks containers, first announced back in 2018. 

The British Retail Consortium has called for delays to the much-anticipated Deposit Return Scheme, despite having nine years to prepare for its implementation.  

Similar schemes around the world have the support of up to 84% of their respective populations and polling has found that 69% of the UK public strongly support a deposit return scheme. 

Commenting on the BRC’s statement, which urged the government to delay the 2027 rollout, the charity’s Chief Executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, said: “Retailers must support this decisive measure which will control the millions of tonnes of packaging they produce each year, specifically the return and recycling of drinks containers they market. Keep Britain Tidy remembers similar opposition to the single-use carrier bag charge before its hugely successful implementation and their subsequent enthusiasm for it.  

“The Deposit Return Scheme was announced in 2018 and retailers have had more than enough time to get on board and prepare. This has the overwhelming support of their customers, with 69% of the population strongly supporting a deposit return scheme. 

“The Irish scheme was rolled out in February 2024, just 26 months after regulations were published. There is no reason why our own timeline cannot be met, especially considering it features many of the same retailers and producers and allows for a much longer implementation period. 

"As well as being unsightly and damaging to people’s pride in where they live, litter is dangerous to people, pets and wildlife. Each year, for example, more than 3 million small mammals die trapped in littered drinks containers.  

“People are fed up with seeing drinks containers overflowing from bins, lining their streets and ending up in parks, playgrounds, rivers and our seas. With the silver bullet of a Deposit Return Scheme we will reduce this mess and waste by up to 85% saving the taxpayer millions in clean up costs. We just need to get on and do it and our supermarkets need to do their part.”