Plastic pollution crisis being tackled by unique scheme in one part of UK

Nada travelled to Suffolk to witness how one part of the nation is leading wthe way with a pioneering scheme to tackle plastic waste

Cllr Janne Jarvis has been part of a pioneering scheme in Suffolk which has recycled 16,000 plastic bottles (Image: Paul Marriott)

An eye watering 25 billion bottles and cans will be littered, buried or burned, say experts, as a result of the government dragging its heels on a promised recycling scheme.

In Europe the systems known as a deposit return scheme - or reverse vending machines - are so successful 97% of all plastic drinks bottles in Norway are recycled - the major source of plastic pollution.

The consumer pays a deposit on a drink but this gets refunded when they return the container to a machine, normally in a supermarket.

Plans in England have been pushed back to 2027 angering environmental charities including Keep Britain Tidy, who has long campaigned for its introduction and called it a “slap in the face for anyone who cares about the state of litter in this country.”

But one part of the country is leading the way in tackling the plastic pollution crisis by introducing the first recycling machines.

The trailblazing initiative was the brainwave of West Suffolk Labour councillor Janne Jarvis who decided to get into local politics after seeing the impact plastic waste was having in his area.