Following the tender process, five companies have been appointed to provide logistics and processing activities across the UK.
The tenders have been awarded on a regional basis.
The winners are:
- Suez – the North-East, North-West, West-Central and South West regions of England
- CIRQLR – the East Central, South and South East regions of England
- Re.Group – Scotland, working in partnership with Hargreaves Services plc
- Bywaters – London
- Re-Gen – Northern Ireland
John Scanlon, Executive Vice President in the UK for Suez, said: “I’m delighted Exchange For Change has entrusted Suez to deliver this groundbreaking service in four of its ten regions and look forward to working together to drive circularity, support domestic resource security and promote regional prosperity through the creation of local, green collar jobs.”
David Palmer-Jones OBE, CEO of CIRQLR added: “CIRQLR is delighted to have been chosen as a main supplier of Exchange for Change in the delivery of the UK’s new beverage deposit return scheme (DRS).
“Together with shoppers, retailers, and drinks manufacturers CIRQLR will work so that plastic bottles and metal cans can be collected and recycled, giving them a second life.”
New processing facilities to operate from 2030
The DRS is scheduled to launch in October 2027 in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Exchange for Change is the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO) responsible for the roll-out in all four nations.
Russell Davies, Exchange for Change Chief Executive, said: “The Deposit Return Scheme will transform how the UK recycles. This is not only about preventing waste from polluting our towns, countryside, rivers and beaches, but also about investing for the long-term in new environmental infrastructure, jobs and opportunities across the UK.
“Together the five waste management companies will create a resilient and scalable collections network that will ensure efficient collection and processing of DRS materials.”
According to Exchange for Change, three dedicated DRS processing facilities in Scotland, Scunthorpe and Guildford, two dedicated DRS processing lines in Isle of Dogs and Newry, and one shared-use plastics recycling facility in Avonmouth will be operational from October 2027.
Expansion will then follow with the creation of three new purpose-built facilities in Ely in Cambridgeshire, Knowsley in Merseyside, and Avonmouth, which will be operational from October 2030.
Around 400 new recycling vehicles are also expected to be mobilised to facilitate the collection of DRS materials from every corner of the UK.
The scheme will apply to single-use drinks containers between 150ml and three litres, made from PET plastic, steel and aluminium.
Consumers will pay a refundable deposit of 20p when purchasing an in-scope drink and will be able to reclaim it by returning the empty container to a designated return point.
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