A deposit return scheme (DRS) on plastic bottles is not the best recycling solution, but it may need to happen to tackle the UK’s growing problem with waste.

That was the message from Coca-Cola European Partner’s associate director for public affairs Jim Fox as he addressed retailers at the NFRN’s annual conference last week. “Deposits are not the best option, but might be the option we need to go to,” he said.

If this system comes in, retailers need to be ready for it

Fox said what needed to happen was for local authorities and litter organisations to have a joined-up approach; for manufacturers to make packaging easier to recycle; and for consumers to find it easy and rewarding to recycle.

He added that the Government had to have the time to make it all happen.

“If we can’t achieve all these changes, doing nothing is not an option. If we’re still in this situation in two or three years’ time, we need to seriously start thinking about a DRS system,” he said. “If this system comes in, retailers need to be ready for it.”

NFRN chief executive Paul Baxter said the NFRN had chosen to get involved in the scheme early in order to make its voice heard.

He added: “It’s controversial, it does have an impact and there are a number of challenges we have to face, but we don’t want to look back in years to come and say, ‘I wonder if they thought about the independent retailer’.”

At a Scottish parliament meeting on waste last week, Tony Boyle, divisional manager from Glasgow City Council, stressed the need for manufacturers to play their part in reducing waste.

“Local authorities have been left holding the baby,” he said. “There has to be more done on the universality of responsibility from the producer down.”