Following the last minute cancellation of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme in 2023, the government declared the intention for DRS to be introduced across the UK by the end of 2027 under three schemes – England/Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

The intention was that whilst separate, the three would be ‘inter-operable’ applying the same deposits on the same drinks packaging. However, In November 2024, Wales declared that they would sit outside the wider scheme with the main difference being that it would include glass bottles unlike the other nations that will all exclude glass packaging.

In essence, DRS will require retailers of drinks products in certain packaging types to charge a deposit as part of the sale price that will be returned to anyone bringing back the packaging to a participating retailer ie one that has sold drinks in the relevant packaging.

Scotland already have regulations in place that will need amending – The Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations 2020

Legislation for England and Northern Ireland was laid on 26 November 2024 – The Deposit Scheme for Drinks Containers (England and Northern Ireland) Regulations 2024

Welsh legislation is yet to be published.

The system for England, Northern Ireland and Scotland will cover:packaging that:

• is made wholly or mainly from PET plastic, steel or aluminium,
• is conceived or designed to—
  • contain at least 50 millilitres and no more than 3 litres of liquid, and
  • be sealed in an airtight and watertight state at the point of sale,
• is single-use packaging,

The consultation response on 20 Jan 2023 lays out the proposed system for England, Northern Ireland and now Scotland.

For England and NI, glass will be excluded but will be included for Wales similar to Scotland.

Once introduced, packaging in scope for DRS will be exempt from the current packaging waste regulations and the future EPR.

A Defra Business Readiness Forum session on 25 Jan 2023 gave more details as to how the system will work in England, NI and now Scotland.