Dr Ian Humphreys is the Chief Executive of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, and an NAEE Fellow. He recently wrote a post for the Slugger O’Toole blog on the idea of a Deposit Return Scheme. This is how it begins:
“An ambitious new initiative has come into force in the Republic of Ireland on February 1st that should be welcomed by all who work to change behaviours that can improve our environment for the better. The Deposit Return Scheme will see a 15 cent levy added to every aluminium can and plastic bottle sold in the Republic of Ireland. Customers can keep their empty cans and bottles for return to get the deposit they have paid refunded.
Whilst this scheme is new to this island, it is not new to Europe. Many countries on the continent have had similar schemes up and running for many years and Northern Ireland should not shy away from having a similar scheme and here is why.
A Deposit Return Scheme will help us increase recycling rates that have started to flat line across Northern Ireland. Recycling is one of the many tools we have at our disposal to mitigate the damage that the misuse of single-use plastics can have on our environment. As local councils reach the limit of getting the general public to recycle through their household waste, a Deposit Return Scheme will help take more of the public along the way towards more sustainable uses and re-engage people with the concept of recycling.
Then we have the bigger picture of building a circular economy which a Deposit Return Scheme is critical towards achieving. This scheme encourages customers and businesses to keep these materials in consistent use rather than simply use them once and disregard them for general waste. Moreover, the DRS will ensure a sustainable and continuous use of packaging which is beneficial for building the circular economy that we need for the future.
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To read the whole post, click on the link, above. Ian can be contacted at: ian.humphreys@keepnorthernirelandbeautiful.org