In March, ministers launched a fresh consultation regarding the introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. With the industry and campaigners still split on how the system should work, Rick Hindley, executive director at Alupro, provided the following comment:

“Aiming to tackle plastic pollution, increase recycling rates, improve recyclate quality and minimise litter, England, Wales and Northern Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is set to be rolled-out over the next few years. However, the unique market dynamics of the UK mean that simply ‘importing’ a DRS scheme from other countries is not guaranteed to deliver success. As such, adopting best practice design and taking all available insight into consideration will prove pivotal.

“In January, we released a comprehensive report, developed in partnership with independent think-tank London Economics, to analyse the implications of implementing a flat rate versus a variable rate deposit fee. The findings were clear – a flat rate DRS would result in 10% lower return rates for the first two years for all containers, plastic would further dominate the beverage packaging on supermarket shelves and the UK’s thriving aluminium industry, which employs more than 20,000 workers nationwide, would be faced with the real possibility of plant closures.

“Conversely, a variable rate fee would see the government achieve its 90% return rate target almost a year earlier, leading to a higher recycling rate and less litter on the streets – in essence, the best solution by far from an environmental and economic perspective. While there have been suggestions that a variable rate would be far too complex for shoppers, recent research disproves this view, with consumers overwhelmingly supporting higher deposits for larger containers.

“As consultations commence, it’s imperative that the government takes the valuable views of consumers and the packaging industry into close consideration when discussing introduction and implementation. Failure to do so could prove disastrous.”

ENDS

Alupro, the aluminium packaging recycling organisation, has announced the roll-out of its successful education programme to primary schools across Wales. Classrooms nationwide are invited to participate in the initiative, which aims to educate students about the benefits of recycling.

The manga-themed Key Stage 2 (KS2) programme introduces pupils to heroine ‘Ally Minium’ and her warriors who together embark on a mission to defeat evil ‘Land Phil’, who is threatening to take over the planet. A fun introductory video leads to an exciting interactive lesson with pupils becoming ‘Masters of Infinity’. There’s also a fantastic competition giving pupils the chance of winning a Nintendo Switch Lite and a £250 book voucher for their school.

The education programme has a general recycling theme with a focus on the importance of aluminium packaging recycling. Designed to inspire a long-term commitment to recycling for pupils and parents alike. The free resources can be taught in the classroom or at home.

Rick Hindley, Executive Director at Alupro, commented: “We’re extremely proud to play our part in educating the next generation about the circular properties of aluminium packaging. At Alupro, we thoroughly enjoy working with pupils to increase awareness and encourage behavioural change, which they can take home to their families.”

So far, the English language version of the resources have been downloaded more than 580 times across the UK and Ireland. Rick added: “We’ve been really impressed with the competition entries to date. We’ve now launched a second competition specifically for Schools in Wales and we’re really looking forward to seeing the additional entries and the exciting adventures students create. Good luck to everyone who participates!”

For more information, or to download the educational resources, visit: https://learningaluminium.co.uk/masters-of-inifinity/.