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 including other single-use materials in the planned deposit return scheme for plastic bottles.

We have recently closed a second consultation on introducing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and are analysing the responses to the consultation, with a view to publishing a government response in due course. The government response will include a final decision on the scope and materials to be included in the deposit return scheme. An impact assessment for the introduction of the scheme will also be published.

Any packaging materials not included within the scope of a deposit return scheme will be included under the reformed packaging producer responsibility regime to ensure equitable treatment of packaging materials, which would then be collected through kerbside recycling collections.