Three quarters of Britons hope to see Deposit Return Scheme in place by 2027
New poll by Alupro of 2,000 UK adults outlines desires for a clear environmental plan from new Labour Government.
Almost three quarters of Britons want the new UK Government to push ahead with the proposed Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), according to a new survey commissioned by Alupro.
The poll, conducted by Yonder on 2,000 UK adults, also revealed that 65 per cent said Defra should follow the example of the Welsh Government by setting binding recycling targets for local authorities.
More than 80 per cent of those polled also felt Labour should be ambitious in pushing through key environmental policies, and should seek to ‘right the wrongs’ of the previous Conservative Government.
Tom Giddings, Alupro Executive Director, said: “The Great British public could not be clearer. They want Labour to get on and deliver for the environment.
“They do not want landmark environmental policy such as deposit return schemes to be delayed beyond 2027. Britons have waited long enough for Whitehall to do right by the environment.”
A DRS in all four nations of the UK has already been subjected to multiple delays and has struggled to define the scope of the materials involved. Currently, glass is set to be excluded from schemes in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, but included in Wales.
Campaigners fear that further delays are in store as the government prioritises fixing the public finances.
But, the poll revealed that Britons want an inter-operable scheme that includes all materials across the UK no later than 2027. This would look like an additional, variable charge on all drink containers depending on the container size that would be recovered when returned to the collection point.
Endorsing the findings, Allison Ogden-Newton, Chief Executive Officer at Keep Britain Tidy, commented: “We have long campaigned for a deposit return scheme including all materials.
“We have heard countless stories of people and pets being endangered by littered glass, as well as our volunteers who struggle with removing broken glass from the environment as it cuts through plastic waste bags.”
The poll has been published ahead of the Labour Party Conference 2024 in Liverpool in hopes of pushing the party to reconfirm their recycling pledges.
Giddings added: “I look forward to discussing in Liverpool how Labour can deliver a real circular economy for this and future generations.”
