Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the potential annual (a) costs and (b) savings accruing to local authority finances of a deposit return scheme.

The introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is expected to increase recycling and reduce littering of the drinks containers in-scope. The greenhouse gas emissions reduction associated with this is 2.9 metric tonnes of CO₂e over the ten-year appraisal period. The Net Present Value of a DRS for drinks containers is estimated in the initial impact assessment to be more than £2 billion over the appraisal period for the ‘all-in’ option, and £250 million for the ‘on-the-go’ option. We will continue to refine our analysis of the costs and benefits as we receive more evidence and develop further policy options.