APRS joins calls for UK-wide Deposit Return Scheme

Today APRS joined with a group of manufacturers, retailers and environmental organisations to call on the Prime Minister to implement a UK-wide Deposit Return scheme.

Since the Scottish Deposit Return scheme was delayed until the roll-out of a UK-wider scheme, APRS has been campaigning with our colleagues across the UK, particularly in England and Wales, for a UK-wide scheme to come forward as quickly as possible. It was originally to be launched in October 2025 but in April it was announced that it would be pushed back to October 2027.

This means that since, then, Environment Minister, Michael Gove announced a deposit return scheme for England in 2018, it has been delayed from the original launch date of 2023, to 2024, 2025 and now to 2027.

We believe that, with a new Government in Westminster, this could be an opportunity to reset this situation of constant delay and implement a proven method for increasing our shameful recycling levels in the UK.

The case is clear

As the letter says: “Deposit return schemes have the potential to reduce littering of drinks containers (which make up 75% of litter¹) by up to 85%². More than 40 countries have successfully implemented a deposit return scheme, with the best designed seeing return rates of up to 98% as a result³.

“The environmental case is clear, and any delay to deposit return means more avoidable damage and waste – each year, nearly 9 billion drinks containers fail to be recycled – ending up in landfill, incineration or as litter⁴.”

The letter goes on to say

“It will lead to the creation of an estimated 3,000-4,000 green jobs in the collection and sorting of materials⁵. And according to Defra’s own calculations, DRS will deliver a Net Present Value of between £3.58-5.88bn⁶.

“Deposit return schemes are a highly visible, highly popular intervention on the environment – just 5 years after the implementation in Lithuania it enjoys 98% public support, and a combined survey of 34 international polls showed an 87.5% average level of support for existing deposit return scheme⁷. Recent polling by YouGov show that 69% of the UK public currently support deposit return⁸. Ireland has also recently introduced a scheme which sees nearly 3 million containers returned daily⁹.”

1. LITTER COMPOSITION SURVEY – EQ0121 (defra.gov.uk)
2. Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers moves a step closer – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
3. reloopplatform.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/RELOOP_Global_Deposit_Book_11I2022_P1.pdf
4. Public Perceptions of a Deposit Return Scheme | Keep Britain Tidy (figure updated to incorporate 2023 sales data)
5. DRS Factsheet-Jobs-27Jan2021.docx (reloopplatform.org)
6. Impact assessment: Introducing a Deposit Return Scheme on beverage containers (defra.gov.uk)
7. fact-sheet-public-support-for-drs.pdf (reloopplatform.org)
8. Public-opinion-research-on-DRS-May24.pdf (reloopplatform.org)
9. IOM3 | Ireland’s deposit return scheme ramps up

Read the full letter