Deposit Return Scheme legislation laid in parliament

The legislation can be viewed online and applies to England and Northern Ireland.  

Jenni Hume, UK and Ireland Director at circular economy non-profit Reloop said: “We’re delighted to see the new UK government progress with the deposit return scheme for England and for Northern Ireland which will do so much towards cleaning up our communities and creating a circular economy for packaging.

“While our drinks container recycling rates languish at an average of 70% in the UK, we can see the clear merits from other countries of a deposit return scheme. For example, Germany has succeeded in delivering a 98% collection rate through its scheme. While the advantages of including glass bottles are clear, even without this material the environmental benefits of this scheme still vastly outweigh the costs of doing nothing.

“With strong public and political support for the policy, we are pleased that this tried and tested circular economy measure is one step closer to finally being rolled out across England and Northern Ireland, and in turn the wider UK.”

The move follows the announcement last week (18 November 2024) that Wales will be pulling out of the joint DRS process.  

Welsh deputy first minister and cabinet secretary for climate change and rural affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies MS, said in a written statement that the decision was made due to issues “caused by the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020”. 

He added that the nation will continue to develop a DRS which “delivers for Wales”. 

Several in the industry – including The Recycling Association (TRA), NAWDO and LARAC – have called for the DRS to be paused or scrapped entirely, but Defra indicated last week that it would be going ahead with the scheme. 

A UK government spokesperson commented after the announcement: “We are committed to delivering a Deposit Return Scheme across England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, which will go live in October 2027. 

“We will continue to work collaboratively with the devolved governments and industry to ensure our scheme works for businesses and consumers, while creating thousands of green jobs, driving investment into new infrastructure and moving towards a circular economy.”