Plastic reduction rather than recycling is key to solving the waste crisis

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‘The introduction of a deposit return scheme is the perfect opportunity to disincentivise the purchasing of plastic drinks bottles’ (Getty)

The prime minister in October told a group of school children that Britons should reduce their consumption of plastic rather than rely on recycling.

Whitehall is currently designing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers to come into force in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The introduction of a deposit return scheme is the perfect opportunity to disincentivise the purchasing of plastic drinks bottles.

In Scandinavia deposit return schemes are designed to dissuade consumers from purchasing those large plastic bottles that have been a leading driver of the waste crisis for decades. Danish consumers purchasing a small glass bottle or aluminium can of cola pay a deposit of around 11p for each container they buy. Shoppers wishing to purchase a 2l plastic bottle of the same drink pay a deposit of more than 30p. As a result, Danish shoppers are nudged to avoid problematic large plastic containers.