Households across the UK will be paid to bring empty bottles back to dedicated return points at local supermarkets with "no receipt needed" as part of an upcoming scheme to cut waste.
A Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will be introduced in the UK from October 1, 2027, that will reward customers with a payment for bringing back their empty single-use drinks containers to collection points. These return sites will be based at supermarkets, such as Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s, as well as grocery stores, convenience stores and newsagents that sell drinks, so that the containers can be recycled – and people will then be repaid for their returns.
Through the scheme, consumers will pay a small deposit when buying drinks in plastic bottles or metal cans, and this is later returned upon taking the empty container back to retailers.
Exchange for Change confirmed last month that a flat 20p deposit will be applied to all in-scope containers as part of the upcoming UK scheme. It means shoppers will get 20p per bottle or can they they bring back to supermarkets, or other dedicated return points.
Travis Way, managing director at RVM experts EcoVend, part of international circular economy specialists Reconomy, said: "While much of the industry had anticipated a flat 20p deposit, its confirmation is a helpful step forward for businesses preparing for the UK’s Deposit Return Scheme.
"A flat rate also brings practical benefits for businesses by simplifying implementation, reducing administrative complexity and supporting more consistent system design across retailers, producers and return operators.
“Having greater clarity at this stage allows retailers, producers and operators to plan with more confidence, particularly when it comes to infrastructure, cashflow and customer engagement. A simple, uniform deposit should also support consumer understanding and mirrors other well-established European schemes.
“With further detail still to come and the Deposit Management Organisation continuing to develop the framework, this remains a critical period for industry preparation. Continued engagement and education with retailers will be key to ensuring a smooth and effective rollout.”
The rollout of the DRS scheme aims to reduce litter and increase recycling rates, as UK consumers use around 14 billion plastic drinks bottles and nine billion cans annually. According to research by charity Keep Britain Tidy, small plastic bottles and non-alcoholic cans make up 43% of litter by volume, so it is expected that the DRS will reduce this and boost recycling.
Similar schemes have already been set up in more than 50 countries worldwide, including Germany, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland, to encourage people to recycle more single-use drink containers, and now, the UK will launch its own.
Confirming the plans in a briefing published in January, UK Parliament said: "All parts of the UK plan to start schemes on 1 October 2027. England, Northern Ireland and Scotland will include single-use drinks containers between 150 millilitres and 3 litres made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, steel and aluminium, but not glass. The UK Government decided against including glass (PDF) due to concerns about safety, storage, and recycling quality.
"Wales will include glass bottles in its scheme but initially without a deposit, to avoid immediate changes to labelling and distribution. Wales also plans to introduce a reuse scheme as part of its DRS."
According to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), in England and Northern Ireland, all retailers selling drinks included in the scheme must pay a deposit to producers or wholesalers when purchasing the drinks, and then charge the deposit to consumers at the point of sale.
Retailers must then pay the deposit back to consumers at the point of return and this can either be by cash, voucher or card. The return points will be based at local supermarkets and other retailers that sell drinks, and these will be manual or automated using a reverse vending machine.
Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh told The Express last year: "This Government is committed to cleaning up our streets and ending our throwaway culture.
"Deposit return schemes are proven to reduce the littering of cans and plastic bottles and drive up recycling rates which have flatlined for 15 years. Our packaging reforms will create 25,000 jobs and lead to more than £10 billion investment in recycling during the next decade."
Retailers in urban areas will be exempt from hosting a return point if they have a retail space of less than 100m2, although they can still apply to be a voluntary return point.
Other types of organisations that sell drinks can also apply to host a voluntary return point, including hospitality venues, food-to-go stores, schools, mobile caterers, businesses with vending machines, and gyms, sports or community centres.
The deposit return scheme for drinks containers will be introduced in October 2027 in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, while the Welsh Government is developing its own DRS for Wales which will work alongside the schemes in other parts of the UK.
Shehab, Team Leader at Defra, said last year: "Under this scheme, a redeemable deposit is placed on specific drinks containers that can be claimed when the item is returned to a collection point, such as a local supermarket.
"There’s no need for a receipt or proof of purchase, so anyone can return their own drinks containers or ones that they find, as long as they’re in good nick. This means we can all chip in to help clean up our communities – and get something for it.
"This simple change will reward people for doing the right thing and recycling their empty drinks containers. Together, we will turn the tide on plastic waste."
