THREATS of a winter of discontent may rekindle memories of three-day weeks and power cuts, but there’s another 1970s trend that may make a return – the money back bottle.

Witney MP and Prime Minister David Cameron is backing a campaign to reinstate deposit refunds on bottles and drink cans as pressure grows to reduce waste and improve recycling.

The profitable pastime of taking empty ‘pop’ bottles back to the shop to collect cash refunds will be remembered fondly by many, especially in Oxford, where cinemas accepted the empties as payment for entrance to children’s Saturday matinee performances.

In the 1960s local charities in Oxford made thousands of pounds from bottle collection drives.

Under new proposals, consumers would be charged an extra 15p on drink cans, glass and plastic bottles that hold less than a pint and 30p on anything larger on the basis they would get the money back when the container was returned.

Mr Cameron this week told the House of Commons he is supportive of the deposit refund proposal initiated by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and promised to get Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne to look at the issue.

“We’ll see if we can take it forward,” he pledged.

The deposit refund idea has also caught the imagination of Oxford’s Green Party which wants the idea widened to include virtually all liquid containers, and will be lobbying the city council to adopt the scheme.

Green City Council Leader Councillor David Williams said: “The scheme to restore the cycle of collection via a cash incentive has recently taken off in New York, Sweden, South Australia, Germany and Denmark, where it has made a significant impact on helping recycling.”

CPRE research suggests the majority of the scheme’s cost would be covered by deposits, with the remainder met by drinks manufacturers, which, if passed on to the consumer, would add less than a penny to the price of each can or bottle.

The CPRE claims the scheme would also save councils around £160m a year by reducing collection and disposal costs, and would dramatically cut litter.

news@oxfordmail.co.uk

  • Do you remember the bottle deposits. Send in your views to Viewpoints, Oxford Mail, Osney Mead, Oxford OX2 0EJ or email letters@oxfordmail.co.uk