Standout policy proposals include an October 2025 implementation date, clarity on the role of the deposit management organisation. However, a lack of clarity on the impact on council revenues and how the systems work together across the UK has caused concern.
We’ll bring you the latest reactions as they come in below.
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Polytag ‘confident’ about inclusion of digital DRS
Technology pioneer Polytag’s CEO Alice Rackley said that despite concerns around digital DRS, the company is “confident” that it will be included in the October 2025 roll out.
Ms Rackley explained: “As staunch believers in the importance of leveraging digital technologies to reverse stagnating recycling rates, we are encouraged that the Government is willing to consider a digital DRS (DDRS) that can work in tandem with reverse vending machines (RVMs), but disappointed at some of the perceived shortcomings.
“First and foremost, it is pleasing the English, Welsh and Northern Irish Governments are open to pursuing a different path from Scotland. A hybrid model will reduce the number of RVMs, thereby addressing directly many retailers’ concerns regarding costs and retail space, while increasing the number of return points, convenience and ease with which to recycle.
“That said, it is disappointing it has been argued the technology required to change the labelling of containers to facilitate a DDRS is not currently possible. Our partnership with Ocado Retail, in which we printed over 1.6m unique-every-time QR codes onto the retailers’ milk bottles, proved unequivocally that households would be able to redeem their deposits from home.
“Moreover, unique-every-time QR codes are proven to reduce fraud and theft by preventing the multiple redemption of deposits by individual actors, a risk that persists with the RVM model.
“In spite of this, we are confident that a DDRS will be included in the October 2025 roll out. It is clear consumers want to do the right thing when it comes to recycling, and a convenient digital model, that enables them to build on their current recycling habits and understanding of QR codes and smartphones, is best placed to support them with their intentions.”
Drinks company highlights the need for ‘interoperable’ DRS
Head of sustainability and external affairs at Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I, Liz Nieboer, said that to be effective, the schemes across the UK nations have to be 100% interoperable.
Providing a drinks producer perspective, Ms Nieboer commented: “We welcome today’s publication and its outline of a DRS across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
“DRS is not only critical to creating a circular economy for drinks containers, but essential to SBF GB&I’s net zero roadmap and that of the drinks industry. The sooner England, Wales and Northern Ireland systems come on stream the better for the environment.
“We’re glad to see that many of our recommendations have been included. For the schemes to be effective, they need to be 100% interoperable. Manufacturers and retailers operate in one UK market, so divergence creates unnecessary cost and complexity potentially impacting consumer choice and adding extra burden to business.
“We will continue working with all of the governments in the UK, as well as our customers and consumers to deliver a circular loop for our drinks’ containers that works for everyone.”
ESA has ‘some reservations’
Executive director of the Environmental Services Association (ESA), Jacob Hayler welcomed the additional clarity today’s response from Defra brings, but said the it has “reservations about the underpinning logic of, what is effectively, an ‘all-in’ Deposit Return Scheme”.
He said: “Defra has rightly focused on addressing littering and other environmental outcomes as its rationale for introducing a DRS, but has opted for an “all-in” system, instead of focusing only on “on-the-go” container formats, which are most commonly littered and which often go unrecycled away from the home.
“As a result, the DRS system holds the potential to cannibalise household recycling collections while adding additional cost and complexity.
“Other reforms contained within the Resources and Waste Strategy, namely EPR and more consistent collections, hold the potential to deliver many of the same beneficial outcomes as DRS and we would have preferred them to be introduced first, with DRS phased in later to address any remaining materials not being captured. This would limit the impact on consumers and the potential for these systems to work at odds with each other.”
ADEPT questions lack of clarity
The Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT) has questioned what it describes as a lack of clarity in the DRS consultation response.
Steve Palfrey, chair of ADEPT’s Waste Board said: “ADEPT welcomes the publication of Defra’s response to the DRS consultation as providing clarity on another piece of the jigsaw of government waste policy. However, the continuing lack of clarity on government’s requirements, timetable and funding for consistency in recycling services still leaves councils and the waste sector unable to take any decisions about new investment and reforming services.
“Today’s response demonstrates there is public support for a Deposit Return Scheme, but ADEPT considers the decision not to pursue a ‘digital DRS’ based on returning containers through the kerbside recycling system as a missed opportunity to maximise convenience for residents and avoid the huge unnecessary additional expense of providing reverse vending systems at all retail premises.”
Keep Britain Tidy labels scheme a ‘#PainInTheGlass’
Keep Britain Tidy has urged the government to think again about excluding glass from the DRS in England and Northern Ireland.
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, who said: “After a long wait, we welcome the government unveiling their plans for a Deposit Return Scheme.
“Getting plastic bottles and aluminium cans off the ground is a real step forward, but I believe that excluding glass at this time is a tragically missed opportunity”.
She added: “We are incredibly disappointed that glass, one of the most dangerous forms of litter for people, pets and wildlife, has been excluded. But it’s not too late and we continue to urge the government to think again, to line up alongside Scotland and to introduce a truly comprehensive scheme for the sake of the environment.”
GS1 expresses concerns over ‘fragmented’ system
Anne Godfrey, chief executive of international barcode company GS1 UK, raised concern over the different systems across the UK.
She said: “GS1 UK is pleased to see the DEFRA response to the deposit return scheme (DRS) consultation has been published. We are concerned, however, that the UK appears to be heading towards a fragmented model. We know how effective DRS models can be in addressing key societal issues and welcome plans for rolling them out across the four nations, but the proposed approach risks adding unnecessary cost and complexity for businesses and consumers alike, that could be mitigated.
“We have been calling for a harmonised approach that creates clarity and consistency for all involved. Dealing with legislative changes that are implemented differently in one country before another presents a major challenge for UK businesses and, in the context of DRS, risks hampering cross-border trade, limits consumer choice and creates additional barriers to smaller brands. This potentially fragmented model lacks the flexibility to adapt to future expansion to support EPR or other sustainability programmes. Above all else we need a proposal that is flexible and will be a foundation that can evolve over time.”
RA warns the system will ‘complicate’ rollout of EPR and consistency
The Recycling Association (RA) has raised concerns that the implementation of DRS “will complicate” the rollout of extended producer responsibility (EPR) and consistency of collections.
The association’s chief executive Simon Ellin said: “I’ve never understood why we need DRS when we are going to be funding enhanced collections from households from EPR.
“For households, we could potentially end up with two systems and that complicates matters. We will see people taking bottles and cans to DRS return points to get the deposit, when digital technology could mean they could scan the packaging and then put it in their household recycling bins. Indeed, there will be a greater carbon impact from people driving to put their containers in reverse vending machines. Instead, it is more efficient and better for the environment for these bottles to be collected from the kerbside.”
“Local authorities and their contractors are likely to miss out on valuable resources from households as some high-value commodities such as aluminium cans and PET bottles get cherry-picked by the DRS system.”
‘Missed opportunity’ for a fitting DRS, re-universe says
Chairman of re-universe, digital reuse and recycling platform, stated that the government’s announcement is a ‘missed opportunity’ for a DRS ‘fit for the 21st century’.
Re-universe chairman, Tony McGurk continued: “re-universe welcomes the introduction of a much-needed Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) across the UK, yet the Government’s recent decision to opt for a traditional Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) system is utterly out of touch with the needs of the public, industry, environment, and the government’s own ambition to drive UK innovation.
“The real DRS opportunity lies with a digital DRS, which would use unique coding to track and trace every individual drinks container included in the scheme, bringing six key benefits above that of an RVM model: consumer convenience and inclusivity; traceability and transparency; lower cost; flexibility; reduced carbon footprint; and future proofing.
“Citizen engagement is vital to the success of any DRS, but research shows high take-up will only be achieved if a scheme is easy and convenient to use. With people engaged in household recycling, asking them to change behaviour and return their drinks containers to place of purchase will add confusion and penalise the most disadvantaged in society.”
EAC ‘disappointed’ with timescales
The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) said that it is “disappointed” to learn that the scheme will not come in until 2025, “given the length of time the government has spent pondering the issue”.
EAC chairman, Philip Dunne MP, said: “I welcome this announcement that a deposit return scheme will be implemented in England, though it is disappointing to learn that the scheme will not come in until 2025, given the length of time the Government has spent pondering the issue.
“I trust the Government will use the time before implementation to establish a robust and workable scheme. In the UK, we discard eight billion drinks containers a year, and recycling rates have plateaued. This new scheme needs to play a significant part in increasing recycling rates.
“Our committee took evidence on plans for the DRS in 2021. The experts we heard from then were in favour of an ‘all-in’ model that would provide the greatest reduction in litter, ensure collection of high-quality material for recycling and avoid market distortion.”
‘DRS should wait until EPR and consistency’, says CIWM
Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) has said that while it is in support of the concept, the scheme “should wait” until implementation of EPR and consistency in England.
Lee Marshall, policy and external affairs director at CIWM, commented: “Whilst we support the concept in principle, we are still of the opinion that the scheme should wait until both national packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) and consistent collections in England have been fully implemented.”
“In pressing ahead, we are at risk of introducing a scheme that could be very costly and might not have been needed if the desired outcomes from the other initiatives are realised. While CIWM can see the merits of excluding glass from a DRS, the fact this has not been applied across all nations means that there will be inconsistencies introduced at a time when we are trying to do just the opposite.
“CIWM is dismayed with the proposed method of payment to local authorities for DRS material that ends up in their management, especially given that the overwhelming response back to government was that redeeming deposits was not workable. We would also urge government to resolve the issue of VAT on the deposit as a matter of urgency, so that all involved have a clear way forward in terms of the finances of the scheme.”
Keeping glass out ‘the right decision’, says British Glass
Dave Dalton, chief executive at British Glass, said that DEFRA and the Northern Ireland Executive are “absolutely right” to keep glass bottles out of the scheme.
British Glass outlined that while a DRS works for some packaging materials like plastic and aluminium cans, it is not the right solution for glass. It argued that including glass would have increased carbon emission as well as plastic consumption.
Commenting on the government response, Mr Dalton said: “DEFRA and the Northern Ireland Executive are absolutely right to keep glass bottles out of Deposit Return Schemes in England and Northern Ireland.
“Including glass bottles in a DRS would have led to over two million more tonnes of CO₂ in our atmosphere, split glass food and beverage packaging into two waste streams, reduce the amount and the quality of recycled material available to be used again in glass bottles and led to more plastic packaging on the market.
“We already have a convenient solution to improving glass recycling, and it’s at our doorsteps. By recycling glass through consistent kerbside collections, Extended Producer Responsibility, and campaigns to promote a better culture of recycling, we can meet the glass industry’s recycling rate target of 90% by 2030.”
Ecosurety welcomes ‘pragmatic approach’
Robbie Staniforth, innovation and policy director at the compliance scheme Ecosurety, welcomed the clarity provided by the government today, but questioned parts of the timeline and the differing approaches across the UK.
He said: “While unfortunate that the system change is still over two years away, given the scheme has been in design for several years now, it represents a pragmatic approach to the realities of implementing such a major change.
“How the differing systems across UK nations will work in practice remains to be seen. It is sad to see that the four Governments could not get around the table and agree one harmonised system for the sake of UK citizens, not to mention the businesses who will now be dealing with unnecessary extra complexity. However, we look forward to working closely with all stakeholders to ensure this significant change delivers the environmental benefits promised.”
‘Stand up to supermarkets,’ charity urges
Chris Hinchliff, campaigns manager at the countryside charity CPRE, hit out at the response from the government today, particularly critical of the decision to exclude glass.
“A DRS that doesn’t include glass bottles is weak and an abandonment of yet another manifesto promise. England is dragging its feet while other parts of the UK are getting on with it. The devolved administrations of Wales and Scotland have been forced to create their own schemes while ministers in London have dithered,” he said.
Mr Hinchcliff added: “There is nothing remotely difficult about this – it simply requires ministers to stand up to the vested interests of supermarkets determined not to take responsibility for the waste they are knowingly causing. Glass bottles must be included in DRS and retailers must be made to pay the full costs of their highly profitable businesses.
“Supermarkets claim recycling the glass bottles they sell would be ‘too costly for the system’. But the cost is currently paid by councils and taxpayers. These multibillion pound businesses continue to shirk responsibility because they’re allowed to.”
City to Sea slams glass exclusion
Steve Hynd, policy manager at environmental organisation City to Sea, criticised this government’s approach, highlighting that the DRS is running years late and “breaks manifesto promises”.
Responding to the news of the long-awaited DRS launched this morning, Mr Hynd commented: “There is a pattern emerging in this government’s approach of delays, half-measures, and broken promises.
“Their DRS is running years late, will reportedly only include some containers, and, crucially, breaks their own manifesto promises. In the face of the overlapping plastic and climate crisis we simply can’t afford such reckless dillydallying.”
He continued: “The evidence base on this issue is clear. We need an ‘all in’ deposit return scheme that will incentivise refill and reuse over recycling. This isn’t pie-in-the-sky thinking. Other countries already have this.
He concluded by saying “It is also obviously nonsense to have a less ambitious DRS in England than in Wales or Scotland”.
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