Cash for cans & bottles has been one of the most successful recycling-encouragement schemes, applied successfully in many countries around the world. The way these systems work is very simple yet effective. At point of purchase, consumers are charged a small amount of extra money (5c in many states of Australia for instance) for buying drinks in alloy cans or plastic bottles. The extra money is called a deposit, the deposit is refunded to consumers if drink cans and bottles are returned for processing at recycling depots. The scheme is beneficial on many levels, as it not only encourages people to recycle (from a financial point of view) but also develops more efficient rubbish removal and disposal habits in society.
European recycling and waste management leaders like Germany, Norway and Sweden have been able to drive their recycling rates even higher in relatively short periods of time by implementing the cash for cans & bottles system. Scotland is about to follow the same path and introduce the cash deposit scheme in a bid to drive its own recycling rates higher up. Work on the project and implementation of the system has been undertaken by Zero Waste Scotland.
Zero Waste estimates and predicts that the cash for cans system will most likely drive national recycling rates up, it will also make local authority rubbish collection and disposal practices more efficient. However careful consideration is needed when estimating the projected cost of running the system. The actual refund amount which is expected to gravitate between ten and twenty pence per bottle/can should also be factored in when estimating the overall program costs.
At the moment, researchers and industry specialists are weighing up the pros and cons of using one such system, as Scotland is its own country, with its own economic and waste management realities. A detailed and adequate comparison needs to be done between Scotland and the other countries which have already been using the cash for cans scheme. The US has been successful with using this system, so has Canada. The plan is for other UK member states like Wales, England and Northern Ireland to also consider the initiative and determine whether or not it is viable for application in Great Britain as a whole, or if it is better implemented on national level only.
Not all are in favour of the cash for cans & bottles system. A leading packaging and recycling company in Scotland has voiced some concerns as to whether or not the scheme is actually needed in Scotland as their own market research has indicated that eighty percent of Scottish population are greatly concerned about waste management and recycle as much of their waste as possible. The company proposes a more flexible recycling encouragement system based on various principles and methods, they also insist on more efficient rubbish removal and disposal practices on behalf of local authorities.
Debate over the viability of the system continues, first decisions are to be made soon, though it is not expected for any major changes to happen right now.