ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed
confirmation from the government that the introduction of deposit
return schemes in the UK will be pushed back to October 2027,
subject to agreement from the devolved administrations.
In a written ministerial statement published this morning (April
25th), MP confirmed that the
previously scheduled October 2025 go live date for a deposit
return scheme was a ‘stretching target' and that an October 2027
implementation would be required to ensure that the rollout of
schemes was effective and efficient.
The statement also confirms that the UK government have no
intention to include glass within its deposit return scheme, with
only the Welsh Government currently committed to a scheme that
includes glass. The statement refers to figures from Keep Britain
Tidy which show that just 4% of litter was comprised of glass
drinks containers in 2020.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “We welcome this
clarification from the Government on the introduction of DRS.
It's essential that the scheme is given every opportunity to
succeed, which involves as much alignment as possible between UK
nations, the strategic mapping of sustainable return points, and
the creation of the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO). We
will continue to work with our members on how they can engage
with the scheme.”
In correspondence with the Welsh Government, ACS has previously
outlines what it believes to be the five guiding principles for a
well-designed deposit return scheme. These are:
• The scheme should be consistent across the
UK
• The scheme must be at worst cost neutral for
retailers
• Glass should not be included in the
scheme
• Return points should be strategically mapped
and not mandated on the basis of business type/size
• The scheme should prioritise colleague and
customer safety
Mr Lowman continued: “Given the new timescales for the
introduction of the scheme, we now have more capacity to get the
details right. We urge the Welsh Government to align its scheme
with the rest of the UK and exclude glass.”
The full Written Ministerial Statement is available here
ACS has produced comprehensive guidance for retailers on the
operation of a Deposit Return Scheme in stores in Scotland (which
was originally scheduled to be the first nation to introduce a
scheme), which is available here.
