Litter report calls for introduction of recycling incentives

Retailers are today facing calls to introduce deposit schemes that offer customers a financial incentive to recycle their waste, as part of a drive to reduce litter and impose greater fines on those responsible.

The recommendation is one of the centrepieces of a new report from think tank The Policy Exchange and the Campaign to Protect Rural England, which also calls for the creation of as nationwide body to co-ordinate anti littering policy and wider roll out of bins.

The report estimates that levels of litter have risen six fold since the 1960s and now cost council tax payers £500m a year in clean up costs.

Writing in the foreword to the report, Bill Bryson, President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, urges the government and retailers to roll out a nationwide deposit scheme, similar to those found in other countries, which would provide people with a financial incentive to ensure bottles and other materials are recycled.

"Bottle deposit schemes are working well in New York State, slashing litter levels and boosting recycling," he wrote. "Another 10 or so US states operate similar systems, as do South Australia and European countries such as Germany, Denmark and Sweden. All report significantly increased recycling rates."

He added that the introduction of such a scheme in the UK was a "no-brainer" that polls show would enjoy 80 per cent public support and would help the UK bolster recycling rates that still lag behind those in Europe.

Ben Caldecott, head of Policy Exchange’s environment and energy unit, said that evidence from the New York scheme showed that deposits had helped to reduce consumer litter by 80 per cent since its introduction in 1983.

"We know what works from abroad… and we know there are simple, cheap measures like the provision of more bins that can easily and quickly be put in place," he said. "Taking a few simple steps would reduce the clean-up costs that local authorities currently face."

The report follows a similar study earlier this year from the Keep Britain Tidy lobby group, which called on fast food companies to step up efforts to cut litter and reduce packaging levels.