New scheme would see people paid 20p for every plastic bottle they recycle

If new plans are brought forward, people in the UK will be paid 20p for every plastic bottle they recycle.

Under proposed legislation to help tackle waste in this country, the 20p cash incentive would be added to each empty bottle a person recycles.

Originally, Michael Gove pushed for the idea back in 2019 but ministers have delayed its implementation.

However, they are now ready for a fresh consultation on the plans in which they can work out the finer details, and this could happen as soon as this week.

Image by Willfried Wende from Pixabay

While the plans are likely to include plastic bottles, it might also cover cans and glass as well.

People in the UK get through a whopping 14 billion plastic drinks bottles, nine billion cans and five billion glass bottles every year.

Some of these end up in woodland, rivers, beaches and other areas, and can take up to 450 years to fully break down.

It’s been reported that the new scheme could be implemented ahead of the COP26 climate change summit which is happening in Glasgow in November.

Around 45 countries and states around the world already have similar schemes in place which have had a massive impact on their respective recycling rates.

Environmental campaigners have called for all types and sizes of bottles to be included, with Sam Chetan-Welsh, political campaigner at Greenpeace, asking ministers to bring the scheme forward as soon as possible.

He said: “Other countries have had successful systems operating for years.

“So if the UK government delays deposit return, it would raise serious questions about their claims of being a ‘world leader’ on plastic pollution.”