Deposit system on bottles could help reduce plastic waste – Noone

The introduction of a deposit system on plastic bottles could help reduce plastic waste, a Dublin Senator has said.

Fine Gael Senator, Catherine Noone, has called for the introduction of the deposit system to encourage recycling of plastic bottles.

“Under a deposit system for plastic bottles, consumers would pay an extra fee depending on the type of plastic bottle or can, which will be returned to them when they recycle it.” Senator Noone explained.

“This practise is highly successful in Scandinavian countries, some US states and Germany, with recycling points in shops and public spaces.

“Globally, one million plastic bottles are sold every minute, many of which are used only once. Less than half of these bottles will be recycled causing major damage to the environment.

Senator Noone said: “By incentivising recycling we can make a real impact on the amount of waste we produce as a society.

“There is an urgent need for us to reduce plastic waste globally. Research from BUI Galway released today (Monday) points to the global challenge we are facing. They found that 70% of fish sampled were shown to have injected plastic particles.

“Ireland is currently Europe’s largest producer of plastic waste per capita. We must do everything we can to ensure that we reverse this trend.

“Through measures such as a plastic bottle deposit system, we can put Ireland on the path to becoming a leader in plastic recycling.

“We have a responsibility to provide a sustainable future for the coming generations. Caring for the environment is one way we can do this and recycling plastic can play a key role in that endeavour.”