Coca-Cola: Bottle return scheme is a ‘once-in-a-generation opportunity’

The world’s biggest soft drinks company has told Sky News that plans to introduce a deposit return scheme are a “once-in-a-generation opportunity”.

The scheme, due to be trialled in England subject to consultation, is likely to cover glass, plastic and metal containers – and is expected to be in place by the end of this Parliament.

Julian Hunt, vice president of Coca-Cola in Europe, told Sky News that he was “really pleased” to hear the plans, and backed them as part of a response to growing worries about plastics.

“We want to play a positive role in recovering the cans and bottles that we put on the market,” said Mr Hunt. “That includes the deposit return scheme and also changes to the present recovery systems.

“Today we have a number of significant policy interventions in Westminster and also in Scotland and Wales.

“Internally in our business, we talk about this as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to work with Government to change the packaging recovery and recycling system for good. It is as historic as that.”

Return schemes in other countries have produced a sharp increase in the number of bottles being recycled.

However, there is some fear that kerbside recycling collections in the UK will be less commercially viable if the number of bottles falls dramatically – given the fact they are, on average, among the most valuable constituents of a recycling collection.

“We could see that current recovery systems had got us to a certain level of between 60% and 70% of plastic bottles being recovered, but that’s not high enough,” said Mr Hunt.

“We recognise that something needs to be done and it’s important that businesses like ours ensure that products are designed with recycling in mind. But there is also a role for Government and industry to play, working together to find solutions.”

Mr Hunt said that his company’s “one ask” was that work to improve recycling rates should be “done consistently” across England, Scotland and Wales to “reduce complexity for business and minimise confusion for customers”.

Coca-Cola’s backing – after it initially appeared sceptical about a similar scheme in Scotland – is part of a growing wave of corporate giants who have thrown their weight behind the campaign to cut the use of single-use plastics.

McDonald’s today announced that it was planning to phase out the use of plastic straws in the UK.

The company’s chief executive Paul Pomroy told Sky News that he anticipated that – as soon as a year from now – all the company’s packaging would be recyclable.

(c) Sky News 2018: Coca-Cola: Bottle return scheme is a ‘once-in-a-generation opportunity’