The UK Government is “dragging its feet” on introducing a deposit scheme for plastic bottles.

The comment from the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) comes as it believes the government “has not adequately acted upon, or responded to” its recommendations on deposit return schemes and producer responsibility obligations to cut down on plastic waste.

Under the initiative, a small deposit is paid when buying a plastic bottle, which is returned when the empty bottle is brought back.

The Committee called on the government to introduce such a scheme last December but in its response published today, the government indicated it could be delayed until after the consultation on a tax on single-use plastics.

The consultation, however, hasn’t been launched despite being announced three months ago.

EAC Chair Mary Creagh MP said: “The government is dragging its feet on introducing a deposit return scheme. Every day the government delays, another 700,000 plastic bottles end up in our streets. This delay is unacceptable, the government must get its ducks in a row. The government needs to take decisive action on this important issue instead of kicking it into the long grass.”