President of Campaign to Protect Rural England calls for plastic bottle returns scheme

Retailers should pay customers for the return of used plastic bottles in order to cut littering, says the President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

Writing in the Daily Mail, Emma Bridgewater said the introduction of a compulsory deposit returns scheme would incentivise consumers to recycle and would be “immensely popular.”

“Ten billion plastic bottles are thrown away every year, littering streets and polluting pristine landscapes alike. I want to see this tide of driven back,” she wrote.

“The Government has already made important strides in cutting our use of plastic bags. Now we must do something similar for plastic bottles. I am proposing a compulsory deposit system, such as used to be offered on glass bottles, so that customers have a real incentive to return them for proper and safe disposal.

“Even 10p per bottle would have an impact. Other countries, Germany for example, have schemes of this sort.”

Bridgewater, who is best known for her UK-based pottery empire, said her passion for the English countryside, and safeguarding its future, had led her to make the call for change.

“Like everyone else, I’ve been thrilled by the transformation brought about by the introduction of the 5p charge for plastic bags, which has caused an 80 percent reduction in their use,” she continued.

“Now let’s turn that same determination to curing the curse of plastic bottles.”