Waste and Resources Strategy UK: Plastic bottle deposit scheme, plastic tax and recycling overhauls to be discussed in consultation

The government plans to conduct a consultation to reduce plastic waste and improve recycling in waste and resource strategies.
The strategy includes a deposit return plan for plastic bottles designed to make manufacturers more responsible for the plastics they produce.
The Ministry of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is now consulting on the three main pinouts included in the strategy: plastic manufacturer responsibility, deposit return plan, plastic taxes and measures to improve recycling efficiency.
The deposit return plan will encourage people to return plastic beverage bottles after use to prevent them from entering the landfill.
With the development of consultations
Plastic activists say waste management in the UK needs to change, but they are also concerned about how far the strategy will go.
Julian Kirby, plastic activist for Friends of the Earth, said: \"There is an urgent need for a radical reform of the waste strategy to address our waste crisis --
But this must include bold goals that significantly reduce waste of valuable resources, damage to the environment, and damage to wildlife.
\"The plastic tax should give companies a real incentive to use more recycled plastic in their products, thus reducing waste and pollution.
\"But, in order to be truly effective, taxes must be revised regularly to increase the proportion of recycled materials used by manufacturers on a regular basis.
\"The activists highlighted the need for a deposit return plan, but expressed concern about how far the plan will go. A beach clean-
Surfers opposed the sewage organization\'s up Project found that more than half of the 28,000 plastic bottles collected were 750 ml or larger.
According to the results of the survey, they requested that the deposit return plan include bottles of various sizes.
Mr Kirby, from Friends of the Earth, also said that any scheme introduced \"must cover all containers, not just small containers \".
\"You can post your views on waste and resource strategies on the DEFRA website.
Consultations concluded on May 1213.