- DRS expected to improve materials collection volumes and quality for reprocessing
- Applies in England (and Northern Ireland) to cans and plastic bottles, not glass:
• Steel and aluminium
• Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
• Container sizes 150ml to 3 litres
• Any containers outside this range covered by Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (EPR).
- Deposit levied on purchased drinks containers, redeemable on can or bottle return
- Ambition to increase collection rates to 90% plus, from 70% to 75% currently
• Timeline
• Spring 2025 appointment of all administrations and Deposit Management organisations
- Spring 2025 – Spring 2026 set-up of Deposit Management Organisations
- Spring 2026 – Autumn 2027 DRS roll-out
• Building of DRS infrastructure and retailer logistics
- October 2027: DRS schemes operational
- More detailed timescales are expected throughout 2025 from DEFRA
- 1 January 2028 backstop exists for DRS which could apply EPR fees for most containers
Contact CIRQLR for changes so we can prepare your materials supply and tracking logistics