The Government is developing a National Litter Strategy, advised by a Litter Strategy Advisory Group which includes representatives from local government, campaign groups and independent experts, as well as the packaging and fast-food industries.
This will complement existing work, including actions to address litter in the marine environment. It will promote action to reduce litter and littering on land, which should lead to a reduction in the amount of litter reaching the sea. The UK’s Marine Strategy also sets out actions to tackle marine litter, and we are working closely with other countries sharing our seas.
The Department for the Environment has fully assessed of the costs and benefits of introducing a bottle deposit scheme. It found that although such a system may increase recycling rates for some materials and reduce litter, the running costs would be much higher than alternative measures that could achieve the same aims. So we decided not to adopt this option for the time being and instead to concentrate on other ways to increase recycling and deal with litter.