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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using monetary incentives to encourage people to recycle.

Defra launched the Reward and Recognition Fund (RRF) that encouraged local authorities and community groups to devise and assess innovative ideas for reward and recognition initiatives that would encourage positive waste behaviours such as recycling or reuse. The RRF awarded £1.6 million to 25 organisations, delivering 31 unique pilots. The final waste reward and recognition fund evaluation report was published in May 2016 and is available on http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=13764_RRFFinalReport.pdf

The report concludes that although Reward and Recognition can play a useful role in communications and engagement with householders or communities building valuable social capital, it does need careful thought and management to achieve the best outcome. The final report also highlights important points to consider before taking the decision to set up such schemes, providing evidence and conclusions which can be used by local authorities and community groups.

In autumn 2017, an independent working group set up under the Litter Strategy for England held a call for evidence on measures to reduce littering of drinks containers and promote recycling. This included seeking evidence on the costs, benefits and impacts of deposit return schemes. The Working Group has recently submitted their report to Ministers, who will be making a decision on the next steps shortly.