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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the system of plastic bottle recycling used in Norway.

As the Minister responsible for this policy area, in late 2017 Dr Thérèse Coffey visited Norway to find out more about the deposit return scheme (DRS) in operation there. This includes polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic drinks containers within the scope of collection for recycling.

Minister Coffey met representatives of Infinitum AS (the DRS operator and administrator) and TOMRA (a manufacturer of reverse vending machines which accept plastic bottles returned by consumers). The Minister also tested reverse vending machines in a supermarket.

The Government has confirmed that it will introduce a DRS in England, subject to consultation later this year. This visit has informed the development of the consultation.