michael gove unveils plans for a plastic bottle refund scheme to drive up recycling rates
Michael Gove, UK environment secretary, is about to announce plans to cut UK waste emissions. Big cabinet-
Hitter is preparing to announce aggressive proposals to increase recovery rates in a few days.
British people get a coupon or money when they bring plastic bottles back to the street vending machine.
Industry insiders told The Sun that a formal consultation plan could be announced as early as Sunday-before Mr. Gove\'s keynote speech next Wednesday.
It is believed that nearly 40 million plastic bottles are used in the UK every day, but only half of them dump more than 16 million plastic bottles in landfill sites, burn them or throw them into the sea for recycling.
According to the government\'s plan, a \"reverse\" vending machine network will be launched.
A small deposit will be added to the plastic bottle.
The vending machine will read the bar code next to it and provide a refund.
The environment ministry declined to comment.
But insiders told The Sun: \"We were told to wait for the speech-and we will commit to that.
\"New data show that by the end of the next decade, the number of plastic waste is likely to soar fifth.
WWF said that by 2030, UK consumers may throw out more beverage bottles and more disposable beverage cups without taking action.
Michael Gove called the deposit return plan a \"good idea\" in last October, but said more work had to be done before the government promised to roll it out.
A working group has been working on the idea since the fall-but the conclusions have not yet been published.
In Germany and Denmark, there is a deposit return plan and more than one bottle is returned.
Since taking over as minister of the environment, he has won the support of the Green Group and has carried out a blitz on the waste leak plan, which expands the plastic bag charges to small stores and in February recommended a ban on the use of plastic
Gove admitted that he was \"troubled\" by the BBC\'s \"eco-crush Blue Planet II\" and promised to fight plastic pollution.
The British Soft Drinks Association said it would fully support the plan.
Gavin Paddington, general manager, told The Sun: \"We will be very supportive.
\"Mary Kerry of the Labor Party, head of the cross --
The party\'s special committee on environment warmly welcomed this.
She said: \"Michael Gove has hinted at this before.
Maybe the second lucky.