Fears of neighbours stealing recycling during discussion over Government plans for extra charges and refunds for recycling

Credit: EBC

Neighbours could resort to stealing each other cans and bottles, a Derbyshire councillor has jokingly warned during a discussion on plans for extra charges and refunds for recycling.

An impending Government scheme set to be rolled out next October will see people charged 20p extra for cans and bottles, as a “deposit”, that they can get refunded by returning them.

These will be returned at “reverse vending machines” likely to be stationed at large supermarkets and other businesses.

A Derbyshire County Council meeting on Wednesday (July 22nd), heard that the Deposit Return Scheme will involve aluminium or steel cans and plastic bottles between 150 millilitres and three litres – but only single-use plastics.

Retailers, including corner shops and newsagents, selling these products must host a return point, unless they qualify for an exemption, such as being a shop covering less than 100 square metres.

Councillor Dawn Taylor (Ref), said: “It would be good if children can get involved, if they get a penny or something for returning them. When I was younger, we used to return glass bottles to the pub for 5p.”

Meanwhile, chair Councillor Sam Redfern (Ref), said: “At 20p extra per can that would add £4.80 to a 24-pack of Coke so you would definitely be taking your cans back. You would probably start getting people stealing them from your bins wouldn’t you.

“People will take their cans and bottles back if you are paying for it.”

Cllr Taylor said she was concerned about the impact on rural communities who would likely be further from a large supermarket and as a result have more difficulties regaining their refunds.

Daniel Ayrton, the council’s director of environment and transport, said businesses would want to host the returns machines because it would likely bring extra footfall, but said the industry would work it out.

He said the policy, however, would lead to a significant loss in income for the council from selling recyclable material to private firms, between £800,000 and £931,000 a year.

Other Government waste reforms which have already been brought in include local councils – districts and boroughs – now operating separate weekly food waste collections.

This was on track to save the council £1.2 million this year, Mr Ayrton said.

Meanwhile, extra payments charged to producers for using single-use plastics and wasteful packaging, passed to local councils, saw Derbyshire gain £11.8 million last year, with £8.9 million predicted per year going forward.

Councillor Alex Millward (Ref) hoped these changes would drive producers back to using glass instead of plastic.

Mr Ayrton said the changes were aimed at incentivising materials that were cheaper to recycle and better for the environment, saying glass can constantly be reused, even if the bottles are broken.

The council says around 4,000 tonnes worth of material eligible for the deposit return scheme is currently disposed of in black or recycling bins each year.

Meanwhile, the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme – the charges passed to councils for poor packaging – applies to around 71 per cent of waste in recycling bins and 15 per cent in black bins, totalling 71,000 tonnes worth of material a year in Derbyshire.

Reforms for the emissions related to waste disposal are, however, set to cost the council £8-16 million a year extra.

All in all, the council says the reforms, which are still being tweaked and decided, could range from a £20 million extra cost to a £20 million saving, depending on how they are rolled out.