Following rumours earlier this year, the government yesterday confirmed that the introduction of a deposit return scheme (DRS) for recycling plastic bottles will be delayed until October 2027 – almost a decade after it was proposed.
A ministerial statement from Robbie Moore MP said that the previously scheduled October 2025 go-live date for a DRS was a “stretching target” and that a delay until three years time would ensure that the roll-out of a scheme was “effective and efficient”.
It was also confirmed that the UK government has no intention of including glass within its deposit return scheme, with only the Welsh Government currently committed to including glass.
“With the agreement of Ministerial colleagues across the devolved administrations, the DRS will go live in October 2027,” said Moore.
“Until then, we are committed to engaging with industry and working with a Deposit Management Organisation candidate(s) to finalise the next steps towards DRS implementation.”
The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) welcomed the clarification from the government. The group’s Chief Executive James Lowman said: “It’s essential that the scheme is given every opportunity to succeed, which involves as much alignment as possible between UK nations, the strategic mapping of sustainable return points, and the creation of the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO). We will continue to work with our members on how they can engage with the scheme.”
Meanwhile, Andrew Opie, Director of Food and Sustainability at the BRC, said: “We welcome the government’s clarity around the timeline of a future deposit return scheme (DRS). Retailers will need at least 24 months to implement a multi-billion pound DRS scheme, and the government must now engage closely with the industry to ensure all details are fully ironed out ahead of the proposed 2027 start date.
He added: “We are disappointed by the decision by Welsh Government to keep glass in the scheme, adding significant costs and putting it at odds with the systems in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is vital that the DRS scheme is aligned as far as possible across the UK to keep business costs down and maximise the benefit for consumers, while allowing clear messaging across the whole of the UK about how the scheme will function.”
UK consumers use an estimated 13bn plastic drinks bottles a year. Only around half are recycled, with the remainder sent to landfill, littered or incinerated. A DRS is intended to cut litter on land and sea by paying consumers a small cash sum to return their bottles and cans. Once returned, retailers are responsible for properly recycling the containers. Such schemes in other countries have increased recycling rates to more than 90%.
