DRS (England and Northern Ireland) Regulations approved
On 24th January 2025, the regulations concerning the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers in England and NI were approved and came into force.
This means that the regulatory framework to enable a DRS in England and Northern Ireland is in place, with the Government on track to introduce the DRSs in these two UK nations in October 2027.
This follows the main pEPR regulations being made into law in December 2024, which regulates producers’ data gathering and reporting requirements, and the launch of PackUK, the pEPR Scheme Administrator.
In the UK, consumers purchase around 31 billion single-use drinks containers each year, yet recycling rates are around 70-75%, with a number of these containers being littered or ending up in landfill.
By implementing a Deposit Return system for PET plastic, steel and aluminium drinks containers from 150ml to 3L, alongside the new packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) regulations, the aim is to increase recycling rates of single-use drinks containers to over 90%, while reducing littering and introducing more high-quality material into the recycling stream.
The Journey
The passing of these regulations represents the next step in the DRS journey, with Scotland in the process of finalising their existing DRS regulations. In November 2024, the Welsh Government announced their departure from the unified DRS system citing the need to develop a system that will benefit Wales, who are ranked second in the world for recycling. Defra will still be working closely with the Welsh Government during ongoing planning to ensure as unified a scheme as possible.
Functions of the Regulations
The approval of the DRS Regulations provides powers to appoint the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO) who will act as scheme operators ready for launch of the scheme on 1st October 2027. The regulations also set out the functions of the DMO, packaging in scope of DRS, the role played by retailers, producers and suppliers, and monitoring and compliance measures to support the running of the scheme.
Next Steps
Applications to appoint a DMO opened in December 2024 and will close on 3rd February 2025.
The DMO is to be appointed in April 2025.
- After appointment, the DMO will establish itself as an organisation, including securing funding, appointing a leadership team, and designing and publishing decisions on key operational areas.
- Resources and information will then be provided to businesses with the information to prepare for DRS launch in October 2027, along with the establishment of the necessary national collection and IT infrastructure, including retailers procuring and installing reverse vending machines (RVMs), labelling activity, system wide testing, and commencement of consumer engagement.
*DRS to go live on 1 October 2027.
Links
Read the press release and Defra’s Resource and Waste Newsletter here.