Art by Christina Carpenter
Deposit return schemes are used extensively abroad (including Ireland, Sweden and Germany), yet still in England we don’t have theme, with legislation having been delayed yet again.
This is due to not wishing to include glass bottles (the third most littered item on beaches, and broken glass can harm children, pets and wildlife, when littered on land).
Almost 20 million bottles and cans are littered daily, in the UK.
Ireland collected 2 million containers within the first 2 months of operation. So a delay is going to cause huge litter issues for another 24 months.
Yet in countries with deposit return schemes (which provide a small financial incentive for returning used and littered bottles to reverse vending machines), around 90% to 98% of all bottles are recycled (you won’t find discarded plastic bottles or drinks cans anywhere).
2 years after a deposit return scheme launched in Latvia, littered drinks containers on the Baltic Sea coastline reduced by half.
And volunteers looking to clean up the largest river, found not one drinks container.
How do Deposit Schemes Work?
If you buy a drink in a plastic bottle or can, you pay a small deposit (around 20p) on top of the price.
Then you simply take your empty drinks container to the nearest reverse vending machine (with the lid on) and pop it in. The machine reads the barcode, and returns your deposit.
People abroad use these machines to either:
- Receive a small rebate (the average Finn earns around £40 a year – which helps to fund their massive coffee-drinking habit – 4 cups a day – more than anyone on earth!)
- Earn a living (obsessive recyclers go around looking for empty littered containers, then put them in reversed vending machines). There is enough litter on our streets, in the countryside and on beaches, to likely earn a good income).
- Donate to charity (some community reverse vending machines let you donate your deposit to good causes). In Victoria (Australia), these have helped to fund local shelters, hospital equipment and even football team kits).
Set up a Cash for Cans Community
Until we have a deposit return scheme, you can set up a Cash for Cans facility in your area. This lets local people recycle cans, and raise cash for local causes.
Metal merchants will pay 30p to 50p per kilo (around 80 cans). So (with 6.5 billion cans littered each year in the UK).
So that’s at least £250 million that could go to good causes, and remove litter off our streets at the same time.
Cash for Cans has already:
- Raised £15,000 for an Air Ambulance in Hampshire (collection points in local churches to vineyards).
- Bought a football kit, defibrillator and recycled plastic picnic benches for an Exeter football club
- Raised £75,000 for a Hindu temple (used cans & foil)
Returnable Coffee Cup Schemes
The Circular Returnable Cup is one of the first to offer returnable (rather than reusable) coffee cups for shops and universities, to reduce the millions of disposable coffee cups binned each day.
Each cup can be washed 500 to 1000 times, with shops able to take deposits manually or use with bank cards and QR codes.
The scheme (where customers pay £1 per cup then return the cup for a refill or refund) has proved popular, when implemented.
Switzerland’s ‘Polluter Pays’ Law
Surprisingly, litter-free Switzerland is one of the few European countries not to have a deposit return scheme.
However what it has instead is a ‘polluter pays’ principle, written into law. Something that many UK environmentalists have campaigned for, where fast food restaurants and companies cover the cost of recycling their own plastic packaging, via a small tax.
As a result, Switzerland has some of the highest recycling rates in the world. It banned combustible waste in landfills since 2000.
The Circular Returnable Coffee Cup
Millions of disposable coffee cups are thrown away each day. The paper can’t be recycled due to plastic lining, which breaks into microplastics if the cups are littered. Sweet caramel liquids can tempt dogs and wildlife (harmed by caffeine or xylitol).
We like Sanctuary Coffee (profits help animals!) NHS says to avoid caffeine for pregnancy/nursing (chain store coffee has more caffeine).
The Circular Returnable Cup has been 2 years in development, to offer a quality returnable cup for coffee shops, universities and other establishments. Not only is this good for the planet, but it saves you money, as each cup can be washed 500 to 1000 times.
Millions of disposable coffee cups are thrown away each day. The paper can’t be recycled due to plastic lining, which breaks into microplastics if the cups are littered. Sweet caramel liquids can tempt dogs and wildlife (harmed by caffeine or xylitol).
We like Sanctuary Coffee (profits help animals!) NHS says to avoid caffeine for pregnancy/nursing (chain store coffee has more caffeine).
Depending on your business, you can choose to take small deposits manually, but the scheme is set up to use with bank cards and QR codes, for ease of use for regular coffee shop drinkers.
You can read a case study of a successful scheme in place in Cornwall. Customers pay a £1 deposit a returnable cup, then return for a refill or refund. The scheme has proved very popular.
Returnable cups are becoming increasingly popular, as an alternative to refillable coffee cups (which are also good). Major chain brands are getting on board, and the scheme is also now up and running at Blenheim Palace, for visitors.
To avoid clogged sinks (and plumbing bills), invest in a sink protector mat which will collect coffee grounds (just bin them, as latest advice suggests caffeine could harm compost bin creatures).
