MPs have supported a proposed law to establish a deposit return scheme (DRS) for drinks containers in England and Northern Ireland from 2027, despite concerns voiced by UK retailers.

Under the initiative, customers will be able to claim a small monetary reward for returning single-use plastic, steel and aluminium empty drinks containers to a designated return point for recycling.

Yesterday (21 January), the House of Commons voted 352 to 75, majority 277, in favour of the law, with the Scottish government expected to unite its scheme to the one supported by MPs, The Standard reported.

Creagh said the DRS would “begin to turn back the plastic tide” and create a “resource stream” by providing people with money back on their bottles.

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She added: “It’ll make a positive difference to every single street where we live. Nobody wants to see plastic and cans littering our beaches, rivers and seas, our roads and our parks.

“With this scheme we will have less litter, less landfill, less harm to our precious wildlife, which is under such pressure, and we really will begin to turn back the plastic tide.”

However, it is understood glass will not be included due to the “considerable up-front costs” it would add, according to Creagh.

In November, Wales said it would move forward with its own DRS, despite having previously set out plans for a scheme in conjunction with England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, due to pushing ahead with glass bottles.

However, MPs decision to support the scheme comes despite supermarket chiefs having urged the government to postpone the launch of the DRS, claiming the proposed October 2027 rollout was “not feasible” and would inflict significant costs on retailers.

Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith said the government’s impact assessment estimated a £228m per year net cost to businesses, which he described as “another unsustainable cost”, warning consumers would have to “bear the burden”.