A deposit return scheme to tackle the billions of bottles not recycled every year is being kicked into the long grass, say MPs

The government is “dragging its feet” on introducing a deposit return scheme to cut the billions of plastic bottles not recycled every year, according to a committee of MPs.

The Environment Audit Committee (EAC) called for a deposit return scheme (DRS) in a report in December, in which a small deposit is paid when purchasing a bottle and then returned when the empty bottle is brought back. Environment secretary Michael Gove called a DRS a “great idea” in September.

But the government’s reply to the EAC report, published on Monday, suggests a DRS decision will be delayed until after a consultation on taxes to deter single-use plastics. That consultation has not yet been launched despite being announced three months ago.

Quick guide Plastics and our throwaway society Show Hide Why is plastic being demonised? Since the 1950s, 8.3bn tonnes of plastic has been produced. Plastic is seen as a versatile, indispensable product, but the environmental impact is becoming more stark. Plastic is now so pervasive that recycling systems cannot keep up and the leakage into the environment is such that by 2050 plastic in the ocean will outweigh fish. In 2017 scientists found plastic fibres in tap water, and plastic has been found in the stomachs of sea creatures in the deepest part of the ocean. Most plastic waste ends up in landfill sites or leaks into the natural environment, where it is causing huge damage to eco-systems on land and sea, creating near permanent contamination. According to academics in the United States, by 2015, of all the plastic waste generated since the 1950s, only 9% has been recycled, with 12% incinerated and 79% accumulated in landfill sites or the environment. Why are the supermarkets under fire? Producers of plastic include retailers, drinks companies and supermarkets. Supermarkets create more than half of the plastic waste in the household stream in the UK. But they refuse to reveal how much they put on to the streets and how much they pay towards recycling it. Supermarkets are under pressure to reduce their plastic packaging and campaigners argue they have the power to turn off the tap. Much of the packaging they sell to consumers is not recyclable: plastic film, black plastic trays, sleeves on drinks bottles and some coloured plastic. The Recycling Association and other experts believe supermarkets could do much more to make packaging 100% recyclable and reduce the use of plastic. Who pays to clean up the waste? The taxpayer, overwhelmingly. UK producers and retailers pay among the lowest towards recycling and dealing with their waste in Europe. In other countries, the “polluter” is forced to pay much more. In France, a sliding system of charges means those who put more non- recyclable material on the market pay more. What can shoppers do to help? Supermarkets are under pressure, not least from the prime minister, to create plastic-free aisles. A growing number of zero-waste shops are springing up and consumers are being encouraged to ask for products to be sold without plastic. Sandra Laville Photograph: ermingut/E+

“The government is dragging its feet on DRS,” said Mary Creagh MP, chair of the EAC. “Every day the government delays, another 700,000 plastic bottles end up in our streets. This delay is unacceptable and the government needs to take decisive action on this important issue instead of kicking it into the long grass.”

The EAC report found that 5.5bn plastic bottles – 43% of the total – are not recycled every year in the UK and 700,000 are littered every day. In Germany and Denmark, which have DRS schemes, more than 90% of bottles are returned.

Plastic bottles make up a third of all plastic pollution in the sea, which is harming marine life around the world. If marine plastic pollution continues to rise at its current rate, the amount of plastic in the sea will outweigh fish by 2050, according to the report.

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“We agree with the EAC that we need to encourage consumers to dispose of products in the most appropriate way,” the government said in its response. “Urgent action to reduce plastic waste in the marine and open environment is vital for the future of our planet.”

Its call for evidence on a DRS ended in November, but the government said it had to consider how a DRS would fit in with other planned policies, such as plastic taxes, “in order to avoid producers or consumers being charged multiple times for the same products”.

The EAC report found that the UK buys 7.7bn plastic bottles of water a year and called for ministers to require all public premises which serve food or drink to provide free drinking water on request. Creagh said ministers have written to retailers to encourage them to provide free drinking water, but had no plans to make this a requirement.

The government said: “It is clear that we need a cultural shift in making it clear to the public that they are able to refill bottles free of charge in many places.” It said water companies were working to create a network of water refill points. But Creagh said: “We heard no evidence from the water industry about plans to create a network of refill points.”

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The EAC report also called for supermarkets, retailers and drinks companies to be forced to pay significantly more towards the recycling of the plastic packaging. Currently 90% of the recycling costs are paid by the public, a much higher proportion than in most EU nations.

The government said it was committed to work towards eliminating all avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042 and was “exploring changes to the packaging producer responsibility scheme”.

Elena Polisano, at Greenpeace UK, said: “This [overall response] sounds like the government trying to manage expectations before doing significantly less than is necessary. We hope this isn’t the case.”