Scotland’s new plastic bottle return scheme could lead to 11 million of them getting recycled annually
Scotland is all set to introduce a Deposit Return Scheme under which people would be required to pay a 20 pence deposit when buying drinks contained in single-use plastic or glass bottles and aluminum or steel cans, and they can get their deposit back when they return the empty container for recycling.
With a 20 pence incentive not to throw away your empties, Zero Waste Scotland estimates a 90% reduction in ’empty containers’ litter. This would result in:
- Almost 31,000 fewer plastic bottles littered in Scotland each day – more than 11 million every year
- 3,500 fewer plastic bottles littered each day in the city of Glasgow
- 1,000 fewer bottles littered each week in Eilean Siar
Online retailers will also be included in the scheme, ensuring it’s accessible to people that are dependent on online delivery.The Scottish Government is expected to introduce legislation to enable the scheme later this year.