Update: bottle deposit scheme

Millions of plastic bottles are littering our streets and beaches. They don’t rot or decompose, so they end up polluting our environment and harming precious wildlife. Now Environment Secretary Michael Gove is wavering on a simple solution to this massive problem.

Last year he promised to introduce bottle deposits – a simple, effective way to recycle plastic bottles. But powerful pro-plastic lobbyists want to block the plans and make them weak so they can sell more bottles. It means thousands of bottles could still end up on our beaches and in our seas.

If we’re going to protect our environment for future generations, we need to act now. If thousands of us sign the petition – telling Michael Gove to commit to a proper bottle deposit plan – together our voices could drown out the lobbyists.

38 Degrees works because together, we’re stronger. After 329,000 of us pressured Michael Gove to bring back bottle deposits, he listened. But some businesses – whose profits depend on plastic – want to water down the scheme. It will take more of us than ever to make sure the Michael Gove sticks to his promise and tackles plastic pollution for good.