Daily Newsletter

31 May 2024

Daily Newsletter

UK political parties urged to back DRS in manifestos

A coalition of environmental organisations is calling on UK political parties to state their plans for tackling the waste crisis.

Claire Jenns May 31 2024

Public opinion on deposit return schemes (DRS) in the UK is "overwhelmingly positive" according to a coalition of environmental organisations that is calling on political parties to state their plans for tackling the waste crisis in their manifestos for the 2024 General Election manifesto.

A DRS is set to be introduced across the UK in 2027 and will see a small deposit placed on drinks bottles and cans to incentivise their return for recycling.

According to research by the nonprofit Reloop, 69% of the public supports the implementation of a DRS and looks to the government to act on waste. There is 77% support among Conservative voters, 69% support from Labour voters and 71% among Liberal Democrat voters.

Polling suggests that 89% of the public believes that the national government has at least a fair amount of responsibility for recycling.

Among Labour voters, the single greatest motivation for supporting a DRS is the creation of a monetary incentive to drive recycling (50%). For Liberal Democrat and Conservative voters, the greatest motivation is the benefit of waste reduction through minimising single-use container waste.

Countries already operating a DRS, such as Germany, Norway and Finland, have plastic bottle recycling rates of 90% and have seen reductions of over 60% in the littering of bottles. Bottle recycling rates in the UK currently sit at around 70%.

The UK's devolved nations, in particular Wales, are driving ahead with the policy, boosting environmental ambition through the inclusion of glass bottles.

Reloop UK and Ireland director Jenni Hume commented: "A future government can secure the greatest environmental benefits and best tackle the scourge of litter by committing to a scheme that includes glass, metal and plastic containers across the UK."

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GlobalData’s AI governance framework helps senior executives identify all potential risks posed by AI systems and provides a checklist of questions to ask tech vendors during the procurement process to ensure they implement AI responsibly.

GlobalData’s AI Governance Framework

GlobalData’s AI governance framework helps senior executives identify all potential risks posed by AI systems and provides a checklist of questions to ask tech vendors during the procurement process to ensure they implement AI responsibly.

GlobalData’s AI Governance Framework

GlobalData’s AI governance framework helps senior executives identify all potential risks posed by AI systems and provides a checklist of questions to ask tech vendors during the procurement process to ensure they implement AI responsibly.

GlobalData’s AI Governance Framework

GlobalData’s AI governance framework helps senior executives identify all potential risks posed by AI systems and provides a checklist of questions to ask tech vendors during the procurement process to ensure they implement AI responsibly.

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