Council's lack of ambition on plastic bottle deposit scheme comes under fire

Plaid Cymru councillors in Wrexham have criticised the council's opposition to plans to improve recycling of plastic bottles through a deposit return scheme.

The council's executive board, in its response to a UK government consultation on introducing a deposit return scheme, says a 2024 target is premature and instead favours recycling plastic bottles through waste collection.

In response, Plaid Cymru Councillor Carrie Harper said: 

"This is a missed opportunity by a council that declared a climate emergency in 2019 and is facing a real challenge in terms of littering, much of it discarded plastic bottles. If we're serious about reducing litter we should be doing everything we can to encourage people to return their bottles to claim a deposit. This was commonplace within living memory here and is being introduced in Scotland next year. 

"The council's claim that people can dispose of bottles through their waste collection service doesn't stand up to scrutiny. A minority of people are discarding their empty bottles on the streets, parks and hedges causing extra work for council staff and a growing army of volunteers. Having bottle deposit machines in shops where you can claim back your deposit would reduce waste, improve recycling and encourage people to rethink about the impact on the environment.

"I despair at the lack of ambition we see from this council when it comes to some fairly basic issues."