Brits Will Soon Be Paid To Recycle Bottles

We all know how important recycling is – but a new scheme is soon to give us even more incentive. Following a vote in the House of Commons, the UK government has announced plans to introduce a bottle-return initiative, designed to encourage people to recycle plastic bottles, steel and aluminium drinks.

Paid Recycling Is Coming To The UK

Set to come into force in 2027, the new scheme will see a small deposit added to single-use containers, which you’ll get back when you hand in the product for recycling at a designated return point. So if you’re buying the bottle first, it’s technically getting refunded rather than making money, but there’s nothing stopping people doing little clean ups of their neighbourhood, too. The price in England hasn’t yet been agreed, but in Scotland it’s set to be 20p per container.

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The initiative will follow in the footsteps of several European countries, who already run paid recycling initiatives. Germany adopted a deposit refund scheme all the way back in 2003, while Finland has reported a 97 percent return rate for its recycling programme – one of the most successful worldwide. 

Mary Creagh, Circular Economy Minister, said before the vote: ‘We have known for decades that the “take, make, throw” model causes harm. It leads to littering, landfill and incineration. When it comes to addressing waste, this government will not waste time. We are turning back the plastic tide and moving to a circular economy that keeps valuable resources in use for longer.’

What Are The Benefits?

In England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, a whopping 30 billion single-use containers are bought each year, and 6.5 billion of these go to waste rather than being recycled. The aim of a deposit scheme is to encourage people to recycle, which helps minimise landfill waste and conserves natural resources. 

Recycling plastic is particularly crucial, as plastic sticks around in the environment for years, threatening wildlife, spreading toxins via microplastics and contributing to global warming. According to research from the Marine Conservation Society, 97 percent of surveyed beaches were polluted with drinks-related items, while 12 million tonnes of plastic makes its way into the ocean every year.

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When Will The Bottle Deposit Scheme Launch?

The deposit return scheme will come into force in October 2027 in England and Northern Ireland.

What Else Can You Get Paid To Recycle In The UK?

• Mobile phones: Recently upgraded to the latest iPhone? Rather than keeping your old one in a drawer for years, turn it into cash using a website like Music Magpie or O2 Recycle. 
• Clothes: This one’s an obvious one – there are endless fashion recycling apps out there, such as Vinted and Depop, while many stores including John Lewis, M&S and H&M have schemes that let you swap old clothes for vouchers.
• Plastic bags: If you’ve got a jam-packed drawer filled with plastic bags, consider recycling them as well as using them for your shopping – Ocado, for instance, will give you 10p for every bag you return to them. 

It’s also worth downloading Bower, a pioneering app which offers rewards for recycling items at home, including cash and coupons.