Environmental leaders have urged the Labour Party to prioritize plans to increase recycling by introducing a comprehensive deposit and return system. This has come at the Nature 2030 and Keep Wales Tidy parliamentary event. They consider it essential that the deposit and return system was in place by 2026.
Deposit and return systems operate in more than 40 countries and apply a small charge to everyday beverage containers, which is refunded when the item is recycled at a recycling point.
Plans for a deposit and return system under the previous Conservative government were widely criticized by environmental campaigners after the introduction of the system was delayed until the end of 2027.
In April 2024, ministers confirmed their intention to exclude glass from the system, but critics argue that this stance puts the UK out of step with the rest of Europe and reduces our climate ambitions.
The Scottish and Welsh governments had initially mooted including glass in their systems, and Labour ministers are understood to be reviewing the actions of previous ministers.
Campaigners say that more than two million pieces of litter are dumped every day in the UK, costing taxpayers more than £1 billion annually to clean up.
They claim the only way to ensure adequate protections for the environment and wildlife is to adopt a comprehensive deposit and return system that includes glass and plastic bottles along with metal cans.
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