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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reasons his Department has delayed the introduction of a deposit return scheme for plastic and glass bottles to 2024; and if his Department will bring forward that introduction date in response to the climate emergency and the impact of plastics on wildlife and marine life.

The Government is committed to introducing a deposit return scheme (DRS) for drinks containers. We recently undertook a second consultation on introducing the DRS, in which we set out timelines for the scheme to go live.

We want an ambitious but realistic timetable to ensure we implement a DRS that will be as effective as possible. We reviewed the timelines required to implement a DRS and anticipate the scheme will be launched in 2024, subject to the outcome of the second consultation and parliamentary passage of the Environment Bill.