The UK just released its Our Waste, Our Resources strategy paper, echoing the work being done by the European Commission on its Circular Economy Package and more recently, its EU Plastics Strategy. When it comes to food packaging, one word keeps coming up: deposits. Does it help to include all materials in a deposit-return scheme (DRS)? FEVE commissioned a study to Oakdene Hollins to understand the impact of DRS on glass recycling and on the packaging market in general. The study clearly shows that glass recycling happens outside of any deposit-return scheme. And, more interestingly, the study dispels the myth that a DRS on single-use beverage packaging favours the use of refillable packaging materials. The evidence shows the exact opposite trend: where a DRS on single-use packaging has been introduced, there are no examples of refillable packaging market share increasing. If the UK were to introduce a deposit, it would be a first, in a country where refillable glass has long since disappeared. For more information, please visit: www.gov.uk/government/publications/resources-and-waste-strategy-for-eng…
