Brits To Get 20p For Every Plastic Bottle They Recycle Under New Plans

Brits could be paid 20p for every plastic bottle they recycle, under new plans.

The proposals would see the government offer a small fee to encourage people to increase their recycling and be more mindful of their waste.

Michael Gove first raised the idea a few years ago following in the footsteps of other nations that have introduced similar policies.

But after several years of little or no movement on the plans, the government is set to renew its interest, with more details to be released in the coming weeks.

According to the latest figures, Brits use 14 billion plastic drinks bottles every years, as well as nine billion cans and five billion glass bottles.

While a percentage of those will be recycled - the British Plastics Federation found that the UK now recycles around 380,000 tons of plastic bottles per year - many are only used once before being thrown in the bin. And it can take hundreds of years for them to break down.

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It's thought the new government proposals could also include glass bottles and cans.

Speaking about the proposals, Greenpeace campaigner Sam Chetan-Welsh said it was vital the UK did its part.

He said: "Other countries have had successful systems operating for years.

"So if the UK government delays deposit return, it would raise serious questions about their claims of being a 'world leader' on plastic pollution."

But if you do plan on upping your recycling, be careful what you throw out.

Last year, one unlucky couple accidentally threw away £15,000, which ended up at a recycling centre.

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The unnamed couple from Burnham-on-Sea had taken a bunch of boxes to the Recycle for Bathnes depot after having cleared out the home of a recently deceased relative.

Fortunately, staff at the recycling depot stumbled across the fortune while looking for some electrical cable.

According to Somerset Live, staff were honest enough to inform Avon and Somerset Police of the incredible find.

Cops were able to trawl through CCTV to find the car that had dropped off the boxes and then were able to find their address using the car's registration plate.

When police arrived at their home, the couple said they had been clearing the house of a relative who had recently passed when they dropped the boxes off at the recycling centre.

The couple went along to the police station and cops agreed their account of what happened matched up so they were able to reunite them with their cash

Topics: UK politics, Politics, Recycling

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

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