The organisation, which has already been appointed as the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO) for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, confirmed it is exploring an appeal and intends to submit a fresh application following the reopening of the Welsh process.
In a statement, Exchange for Change said: “We are now considering an appeal of the Welsh Government’s decision, and intend to re-apply to be appointed the Deposit Management Organisation in Wales.”
DMO search continues for Wales
The Welsh Government has reopened the application window after Exchange for Change was reportedly the only applicant during the initial round.
The renewed process comes amid political disruption, with the Senedd dissolved ahead of elections scheduled for 7 May.
As a result, no appointment can be made until a new government is formed.
A second application window is now open, with submissions due to close on 2 June 2026.
Officials have declined to comment on the earlier rejection, citing pre-election restrictions on government communications.
‘Disappointed’ that application was rejected
Exchange for Change expressed disappointment at the outcome but emphasised its continued commitment to delivering a UK-wide scheme.
The statement said: “We are disappointed that our application to be the scheme administrator for the Deposit Return Scheme in Wales has not been approved.
“Industry has always been clear that the right outcome is a fully interoperable deposit return scheme across all four nations from October 2027, one that reflects the realities of how the UK retail market operates.”
The group reiterated industry calls for alignment across the UK’s four nations, stating that a single administrator would offer the simplest and most efficient route to delivery.
It added: “While we were clear in our application that significant challenges existed with the regulations in Wales, we believe that our application suggested practical and effective ways to overcome these.”
The UK DMO is currently in a closed process to appoint the regional logistics and processing contracts for the upcoming scheme.
The process will appoint providers capable of managing the movement and treatment of returned drinks containers across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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