GOVT bottle & can deposit return scheme proposed

telemarks

Is todays proposal great news for the planet, or just foolish misguided thinking? What do you think?

People in England will soon have to pay a deposit when they buy drinks bottles and cans in a bid to boost recycling and cut waste.
The deposit will increase prices - but consumers will get the money back if they return the container.
The scheme is expected to cover single-use glass and plastic bottles, and steel and aluminium cans.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-43563164

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said there was no doubt that plastic was "wreaking havoc" on the marine environment and discarded plastic bottles and cans "end up dumped on pavements and lobbed into rivers, lakes and the sea".
"We have already banned harmful microbeads and cut plastic bag use, and now we want to take action on plastic bottles to help clean up our oceans," he said.
"We need to see a change in attitudes and behaviour. And the evidence shows that reward and return schemes are a powerful agent of change."

GreatApe

Would banning smaller plastic bottles be feasible? Almost all the drinks exist in aluminium can versions too or could be put in aluminium cans. Fast food outlets could also move away from paper cups + plastic straws to can versions of their drinks. Could even ban the bigger bottles too someone who wanted to buy a 2 liter bottle of pop can instead buy the 6 pack of 333ML cans.

Mojisola

telemarks wrote: »

Is todays proposal great news for the planet, or just foolish misguided thinking? What do you think?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-43563164

It works well in other countries - why wouldn't it work here?

tizerbelle

GreatApe wrote: »

Would banning smaller plastic bottles be feasible? Almost all the drinks exist in aluminium can versions too or could be put in aluminium cans. Fast food outlets could also move away from paper cups + plastic straws to can versions of their drinks. Could even ban the bigger bottles too someone who wanted to buy a 2 liter bottle of pop can instead buy the 6 pack of 333ML cans.

So instead of buying 1 x 2L bottle of lemonade for 17p (plus whatever surcharge they put on), you want someone to buy 4 x 330ml cans at a cost of 99p ([plus surcharge) - no options for 6 cans showing today on website - so 66% of the product at a 480% higher cost?

PasturesNew

A foolish misguided half attempt .... which will fail to do what it says on the box. There'll be a lack of places to drop them off, problems with what you can put in it .... and it'll be in a limited geographic area probably (aka just in London and big cities).

The concept isn't a bad one, the execution will be an expensive albatross.

The_Green_Hornet

So instead of the council collecting all the recyclable plastics, glass and cans in one sweep of the neighbourhood each individual household will now take them to their local recycling point to reclaim the deposit.

Is this really progress?

Mojisola

The_Green_Hornet wrote: »

So instead of the council collecting all the recyclable plastics, glass and cans in one sweep of the neighbourhood each individual household will now take them to their local recycling point to reclaim the deposit.

No, you take your bottles back to the shops.

It's only what we all used to do with our glass bottles - I don't understand why people think it's such a difficult thing to do.

NBLondon

Do we get a rebate on our council tax for reducing the amount that goes into recycling?

Since we live within 250m of a couple of schools, we regularly get bottles, cans slung in the road and into gardens so anything that stops the kids doing this is a good idea. And if it doesn't - then I shall be taking them to Sainsbury (all of 300m away) and claiming their deposits back (for) myself.

The_Green_Hornet

Mojisola wrote: »

No, you take your bottles back to the shops.

It's only what we all used to do with our glass bottles - I don't understand why people think it's such a difficult thing to do.

No one said it was difficult but neither is putting your recycling out for the council to collect each week - I don't understand why people think it's a good idea to spend billions of pounds on duplicating what we already have.

Mojisola

The_Green_Hornet wrote: »

No one said it was difficult but neither is putting your recycling out for the council to collect each week - I don't understand why people think it's a good idea to spend billions of pounds on duplicating what we already have.

Because too many people don't put these things out for recycling.

They also dump them as litter when they've finished them.

Some people will still do that but others will go round collecting them and taking them back for the refunds - that's what used to happen.

The_Green_Hornet

Mojisola wrote: »

Because too many people don't put these things out for recycling.

They also dump them as litter when they've finished them.

Some people will still do that but others will go round collecting them and taking them back for the refunds - that's what used to happen.

True, but I think there must be a better way of addressing this problem without wasting billions of pounds in setting up a duplicate recycling scheme.

Maybe we should bring these back?