Northamptonshire litter group launch deposit return scheme
It will incentivise recycling of cans and bottles
A scheme to incentivise recycling is being introduced in Northampton.
Cans and bottles can be returned via a deposit return scheme in a special machine. It will be in place soon at Northampton University's Market Restaurant at the Waterside Campus.
The project has been launched with the University, the producers of the machine, called Trovr, and Northants Litter Wombles, a volunteer litter organisation with groups across the county in Northampton, Wellingborough, Corby and Daventry among others.
A similar can and bottle return scheme is in use in Ireland, Australia and across Europe. There a small amount of cash is given for the return of the bottles and cans.
In this project though, instead of cash they'll be rewards and discounts you can use. It's similar to a a scheme which was promised in the UK in 2018.
Mark Watson is from volunteer group Northants Litter Wombles who are behind the initiative.
Mark says a lot of what they collect on their litter picking is recyclable:
"We have to get this done. We know as Wombles and I know from picking litter, half of the volume of the stuff that we pick up is metal cans and bottles."
And litter isn't just unsightly as Mark explains:
"We know about 3 or 4 million small mammals die every year in this country because of litter. Quite often they crawl into glass bottles and can't get out and suffocate or drown.
You know, they they don't get a say."
He hopes to see the delays to the national scheme sped up:
"It's been really disappointing. I wouldn't particularly blame anyone person for it. I think it's a collective kind of collective fault, but somebody now in the national government needs to pick it up and make it happen. I mean, the current timeline is October 2027."