The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) pilot – delivered in partnership by environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful, New College Lanarkshire, and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) – was rolled out across the College’s Motherwell, Coatbridge and Cumbernauld campuses.
The trial, which ran throughout September, aimed to explore how small financial rewards could influence recycling habits ahead of the planned UK-wide DRS launch in 2027.
Barry Fisher, Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, commented on the results: “As expected a small incentive drove a huge increase in the use of these Reverse Vending Machines during this trial period.
“Thanks to our consistent messaging across the college campuses the students were well informed of the machines and the incentive, and with two years until we see a UK-wide Deposit Return Scheme it’s vital that the public are aware of its introduction to ensure it is a success from the start.”
Incentive drives RVM usage
According to the results, students recycled 20,177 drinks containers, comprising 11,293 cans and 8,884 plastic bottles.
This compared with just 255 containers collected during the same period last year – an eighty-fold increase in RVM use.
Once the 20p reward was removed, the volume of containers deposited fell sharply, with just 346 items recycled the following week, a 91% decrease on the trial’s weekly average.
Across the trial, students redeemed 80% of the vouchers issued.
Jo Padwick, Senior Sustainability Manager at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners GB, added: “It’s hugely encouraging to see such positive results from our trial. The findings clearly show that even a small incentive can be a powerful motivator to recycle and engage with a Deposit Return Scheme.
“These studies are allowing us to see first-hand how people interact with a DRS in reality and build a picture of what recycling behaviour will look like ahead of its eventual rollout across the UK in 2027.”
Building on Strathclyde trial
The Lanarkshire project follows on from a campaign at the University of Strathclyde, which was also run by Keep Scotland Beautiful and CCEP.
The initiative gathered behavioural insights from more than 200 students, testing a range of interventions and messaging to understand motivations for recycling and waste disposal choices.
Findings from the Strathclyde study showed that around half of students believed a financial incentive would encourage them to recycle more.
New College Lanarkshire Principal and Chief Executive Professor Christopher Moore said: “The success of this trial reveals just what can be accomplished when the incentives are right.
“When young people are given the right support they can make huge and positive changes to their environment.”
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