Hi Caroline
Our countryside is littered with discarded, single-use drinks bottles and cans. They harm wildlife, pollute our waterways and spoil the beauty of nature.
And it’s completely unnecessary.
We’ve been calling for the solution for over ten years. A simple system that prevents the littering of drinks containers and ensures recycling rates of over 90%: an all-in Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) [1].
In May 2018, the government finally committed to putting a DRS in place.
But almost three years later, the message seems to have been forgotten [2].
We’re fed up. So, we’re sending a message in a bottle, signed by thousands of us, directly to the Prime Minister.
We’re telling him to get a move on - will you add your name now?
An all-in DRS would see drinks producers paying for the collection and recycling of all the containers they make and sell.
Even big drinks producers like Coca-Cola now agree it’s the answer to our litter problem.
But now the government has released another, worrying consultation. Not only are they delaying the scheme until the end of 2024 at the earliest, but they’re also still considering a made-up design that will set the system up to fail.
This is the work of a handful of trade bodies trying to confuse and distract the government. Together we can drown out their empty claims with a message straight to our decision-makers: don’t dilute or delay deposit return.
Will you join us?
At the end of May we’ll be taking our message in a bottle directly to the Prime Minister.
With enough of us taking part, we can finally put the wheels in motion for the solution we need to our litter crisis.
Thank you for your ongoing support,
Maddy, Sam, Pat and Mark
CPRE the countryside charity
