Plans by the drinks industry and cabinet to scrap the deposit system on plastic bottles were voted down by MPs on Thursday evening.

Parliament instead agreed to closely monitor the packaging industry in its efforts to increase the recycling of plastics. If the industry is meeting targets by 2014, then ending the deposit system on plastic drinks bottles would be an option, MPs agreed.
The new agreement will also stop shops giving away free plastic bags and ensure plastic recycling collection points are established by all supermarkets.
The packaging industry argues the current system of collecting bottles separately is expensive and inefficient.