Director of waste and resources at Defra, Emma Bourne, reacted to the news on LinkedIn: “DRS is on track and will go live on October 2027. A very big day, delivered by a brilliant team.”
The regulations were passed 352 to 75, with a majority of 277.
The draft legislation – which applies to England and Northern Ireland – was first laid in parliament on 24 November 2024. It can be viewed here.
The scheme was first announced in the 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy and was originally meant to apply to all four nations.
In November last year, Wales announced that it would be pulling out of the joint UK-wide DRS.
The industry reacts to DRS regulations being approved
A spokesperson for waste management company Biffa commented on the news: “We are pleased to see the House of Commons approval today, a key step forward in the UK’s journey towards a circular economy. Cross government and industry collaboration will be vital as the focus now turns to implementation, supported by public awareness and education campaigns to drive participation and compliance. Lessons should be learnt from past experiences in Scotland, providing industry with certainty that commitments will be met. We look forward to working with authorities at a UK, devolved nation and local level, together with drinks producers, retailers and others, to develop and deliver DRS.”
David Gudgeon, head of external affairs at Reconomy Connect (part of the Reconomy brand), said: “With the world consuming resources faster than they can be replenished, this is a great step forwards for the circular economy and keeping precious, finite materials in circulation. This scheme should significantly cut down littering, plastic pollution and our carbon footprint. It is predicted to create 21,000 jobs and generate £21bn investment in our economy. Indeed, in Ireland, where the DRS scheme has been in effect since February 2024, over 630 million containers were returned in the first eight months.
“For grocery retailers, hospitality and other businesses that will be obligated to act as a return point for the scheme, it has the potential to drive footfall to their sites. We encourage those businesses that will need to act as a return point to start preparing this year by beginning to identity appropriate locations for reverse vending machines or manual collection systems in store and develop relevant training for staff.”
CEO of the Marine Conservation Society, Sandy Luk, added: “This marks a fantastic win for our seas, as MPs voted in favour of a Deposit Return Scheme in England and Northern Ireland. With plans already in motion in Scotland and the Welsh Government exploring an ambitious scheme to include reuse, this is a great step towards schemes starting across the UK in October 2027.
“Last year, 97% of surveyed UK beaches were polluted with bottles and cans, posing threat to marine life like seabirds and seals. Deposit return schemes will not only boost recycling and move us towards a circular economy where nothing is thrown away, but also significantly reduce this kind of beach pollution. We’re excited to support governments and industry in launching these schemes as soon as possible.”
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