The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) is backing the ‘all-in’ deposit scheme, one of the two currently proposed by the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra), estimating that it could create £2bn for the economy over ten years. This is compared to just £250m that would be generated by the alternative ‘on-the-go’ system.

CPRE contends that the introduction of a deposit return system would boost recycling rates for drinks containers to more than 90 per cent and make the producers of drinks and its packaging financially responsible for the full collection and clean-up costs of the waste that they produce.

Maddy Haughton-Boakes, litter campaigner at CPRE, said: ‘This is yet more evidence of the positive impact that a deposit return system will have on the whole of society. Taking us towards a circular economy, we will recycle almost all of the drinks cans and bottles we consume, slow down the depletion of scarce resources and reduce carbon emissions, all of which will have a lasting positive impact for our countryside and environment.

Earlier this year, the Scottish government announced its plans to introduce a deposit-return system for glass, plastic, steel and aluminium drinks containers.

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