Bottle recycling could create jobs

A BOTTLE deposit scheme that refunds consumers for recycling drinks containers could create thousands of green jobs, campaigners have claimed.
By The Newsroom
Published 6th Jul 2011, 08:00 BST

The Campaign to Protect Rural England said a “deposit refund system” for drinks cans and bottles could create posts in the waste collection and processing sector, maintenance and engineering roles and office-based staff to run the programme.

The proposed scheme would include a small deposit in the cost of buying the drink – 15p for containers smaller than 500 millilitres and 30p for larger ones – which is refunded if consumers return it to a retailer or collection point.

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Research for CPRE suggests the equivalent of 4,000 full-time jobs could be created by the scheme, including 350-400 higher-skilled jobs and 100 office staff, who could be based in an area with high unemployment.

The CPRE supports a bottle deposit scheme because it would help tackle the problem of littering. It has also conducted research that suggests charities and community groups could benefit from donations.