More than eight billion drinks containers were dumped in rivers or seas, sent to landfill or not recycled in the UK in one year, a report has found. The research – by Greenpeace, CPRE and environment group Reloop – found that in 2019 some 40 per cent of containers were plastic bottles, just under a third were cans and 18 per cent was glass. The groups are calling for a tough deposit return scheme which will create a financial incentive for people to return their bottles and cans in the form of a cash deposit. In Germany, where a deposit return scheme has operated for decades, and which the UK hopes to emulate by 2023, just 21 drinks containers are trashed per person each year. 'The government must deliver an ‘all-in’ deposit return system by 2023, covering drinks packaging of all sizes and made from all materials, including glass and metal.

Source: Daily Mail March 17, 2021 00:14 UTC