Wales to align Deposit Return Scheme launch date with rest of UK

Glass-to-be-excluded-from-DRS-in-England-and-NI.jpg
The Welsh Deposit Return Scheme will include glass. (Getty / Richard Villalonundefined undefined)

The Welsh Government has announced plans to align its Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) implementation date with the rest of the UK.

Wales withdrew from the UK-wide DRS process in November 2024, in part due to the exclusion of glass, and said that it would pursue the implementation of its own scheme.

After consulting with industry over the past eight months, deputy first minister and cabinet secretary for climate change and rural affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, has now announced that the Welsh Government will accelerate the implementation timetable for its own DRS to ensure it aligns with the launch of the UK-wide scheme in October 2027.

Under a DRS, customers pay a refundable deposit for certain single-use drink containers to encourage recycling.

Irranca-Davies said that the decision was taken in order to avoid the scenario where a UK scheme launches without an equivalent in place in Wales, which he said carried “the greatest risk of operational complexity and associated costs” for businesses.

He also confirmed that the Welsh scheme would include glass, alongside materials such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, steel and aluminium.

“Glass remains in scope of our scheme, as this means that in Wales, we will be able to begin to roll-out reuse as a core part of the scheme,” Irranca-Davies added.

“It also means we can continue to improve glass recycling against our baseline performance – by improving on the go recycling – whilst tackling the littering of all forms of drinks containers.”

The minister also explained that clear arrangements would need to be put in place in order to avoid potential unintended consequences of implementing a scheme that is different in scope to that across the rest of the UK.

“Going forward, we will continue working closely with industry and local authorities to deliver a scheme that is simple, scalable and fair, one which supports businesses to take advantage of the opportunities of reduced material costs and ensures no one is left behind,” continued Irranca-Davies.

“In doing so I am conscious of the wider issues impacting upon the sector, particularly SMEs, and we are therefore working with them to ensure there are sensible arrangements such as exclusions for low volume products.”

Reacting to the news, Travis Way, managing director at circular economy specialist EcoVend, said: “It’s good to get clarity from the Welsh Government that they’re committed to delivering their own deposit return scheme in line with the wider UK timeline of October 2027. This gives vital direction to drinks manufacturers, retailers, and the wider waste sector as they prepare for implementation.

“We welcome the decision to keep glass in the scheme, and we look forward to supporting businesses across Wales to manage glass returns in a safe and suitable manner – helping to ensure the system works well for both consumers and industry.”

Sarah Horner, UK and Ireland director at circular economy non-profit Reloop, also welcomed the announcement.

“We are pleased by the Welsh Government’s offer of alignment of timelines on common materials together with a phased approach to the introduction of glass and reuse,” Horner said.

“We support this approach and call on the UK Deposit Management Organisation and the UK Government to support the Welsh Government’s environmental ambitions.”

Finally, drinks manufacturing giant Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I said it was prepared to welcome Wales to the scheme with “open arms”.

“This is a really positive step and it gives us the certainty we needed to move forwards,” said chief operating officer Elise Seibold.

“The October 2027 rollout is a crucial milestone in the UK’s path to net zero and together with Wales we can accelerate progress for a circular economy for drinks containers.”


Also read → More redundancies at Asda as retailer combines management roles