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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential environmental benefits of including (a) PET plastic bottles, (b) glass bottles and (c) metal beverage containers within the proposed deposit return scheme.

The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers across all four nations will include single-use drinks containers from 150ml to 3 litres.

In England and Northern Ireland, materials included in DRS are polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, steel, and aluminium drink containers. Glass will not be in scope of the scheme.

Across the UK, it is estimated that approximately 4 billion plastic and 2.5 billion metal drinks containers are not recycled every year – a significant amount being landfilled, littered or incinerated.

Once the DRS for drinks containers is introduced, the Deposit Management Organisation will be required to reach a collection rate of 90% of DRS containers in year 3 of the scheme.

Further details, including monetary analysis on the reduction of disamenity of litter, will be provided in the DRS Final Impact Assessment. This will be published when the Statutory Instrument is laid in Parliament.