Closed petition Introduce a nationwide deposit return system for plastic bottles in the UK

Closed on 15 March 2018

We call for the UK-wide introduction of a deposit return scheme for drinks bottles and cans. While Scotland is planning such a scheme, the rest of the country must not fall behind. Given the near-ubiquitous plastic pollution of oceans and land environments, urgent action is required by the whole UK.

Worldwide, 8 million tonnes of plastic leaks into the oceans annually, where it fragments into ever-smaller particles. According to scientific studies, it can now be found in the guts of 90% of seabirds, in 1/3 of UK-caught fish, and even in tap water. Urgent action is needed. Of the 35 million plastic bottles discarded daily by British households, almost half do not get recycled. Many countries already have deposit return schemes. In the German one, over 97% of PET plastic bottles get recycled.