22 December 2017 — 38 Degrees

[Great News? As ever, we want to keep our cake and eat it! Why not campaign to STOP making containers out of plastic instead of rationalising a manufacturing process that exists only because there’s more profit in plastic! Worse still, it passes the costs of wasteful capitalism onto the public, let alone the fact that plastics are made from oil! WB.]

I’ve got some great news, that I want to tell you straight away. A group of influential MPs have just told the government that the UK needs a plastic bottle deposit return scheme.[1]

It’s a huge step in the right direction, and it wouldn’t have happened without hundreds of thousands of us coming together to demand action on plastic pollution. 62,000 of us shared our views with the Environmental Audit Committee – the group of MPs behind today’s announcement. [2] And 318,000 of us added our names to the petition set up by the environmental group Surfers Against Sewage. [3] Our pressure is working.

Next step? We need to make sure that Environment Minister Michael Gove follows through and makes a law to introduce bottle deposit schemes across the UK. Together we’ll be ready to keep up the pressure in 2018, and help turn the tide on plastic pollution.

Thanks for all you do,

Holly, Cathy, Bex, Ruby and the 38 Degrees team

PS: 38 Degrees has no big donors or corporate sponsors. We’re funded by small donations from people like you. It keeps us independent, ready to speak out on the issues we all care about even when those in power don’t like it. But we can only campaign on the issues that matter to all of us, like tackling plastic pollution, if enough of us chip in. This December, 38 Degrees needs 7,000 incredible, dedicated, inspiring people to set up a regular donation to fund our work next year. Please will you be one of them, William? It takes a couple of minutes to set up, even if you’re on your phone.
https://38d.gs/now-chip-in

NOTES:
[1] Environmental organisation Surfers Against Sewage launched the petition to bring back bottle deposits on the 38 Degrees website. You can read their full response to today’s announcement here:
Surfers Against Sewage: Environmental Audit Committee supports SAS calls for a plastic bottle deposit system!:
https://www.sas.org.uk/news/environmental-audit-committee-supports-sas-calls-plastic-bottle-deposit-system/
Sky News: Ocean Rescue: UK needs plastic bottle deposit return scheme, MPs say:
https://news.sky.com/story/uk-needs-plastic-bottle-deposit-return-scheme-report-warns-11180525
BBC News: Curbs on plastic bottle and packaging waste sought by MPs:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42441355
[2] 38 Degrees: Bottle deposits survey:
https://home.38degrees.org.uk/2017/09/27/bottle-deposits-survey/
[3] 38 Degrees: Surfers Against Sewage: Bring back bottle deposits to stop plastic pollution in our oceans:
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/bring-back-bottle-deposits-to-stop-plastic-pollution-in-our-oceans-1