Regime 3 of 8 · Packaging
The UK deposit return scheme (DRS)
Correct as at 24 August 2026.
A deposit return scheme for drinks containers launches across all four UK nations on 1 October 2027, run by separate regulations in each nation but converging on the same launch date.
It sits alongside packaging EPR on the packaging side of the eight UK environmental reporting regimes, and narrows one part of it rather than replacing it.
1 October 2027, all four nations.
Aluminium, steel or PET plastic containers, 150 ml–3 litres.
A flat 20p per container (set by the administrator, not by statute).
UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd, trading as Exchange for Change.
What's in scope
In England and Northern Ireland, the Deposit Scheme for Drinks Containers (England and Northern Ireland) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/67) cover containers "made wholly or mainly from aluminium or steel, or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic", with a capacity "between 150 millilitres and 3 litres". HDPE containers, liquid medicines and flavour enhancers or sweeteners are excluded.
Glass is not in scope in England or Northern Ireland at all.
The timeline by nation
All three sets of national regulations now converge on the same launch date, but the route there — and the treatment of glass — differs.
England & Northern Ireland: SI 2025/67, launch 1 October 2027; glass out of scope entirely.
Scotland: SSI 2020/154, as amended, now also launches 1 October 2027 (aligned by SSI 2025/188); registration-only provisions were already in force from 1 July 2025. Glass was dropped from the Scottish scheme on 20 June 2025, and the minimum container volume was raised from 50 ml to 150 ml at the same time. A scheme that once differed from England on both launch date and scope now matches it on launch date, but not on the small print — the 150 ml floor was a live change, not a long-standing rule.
Wales: WSI 2026/103, laid 12 February 2026 and approved by the Senedd on 24 March 2026, also launches 1 October 2027 — Wales did not withdraw from DRS, and this instrument exists and is in force. Glass is in scope in Wales from day one, but carries a 0p deposit and is exempt from labelling for a four-year transitional period to 30 September 2031, with a separate reuse duty starting 1 October 2031. Exchange for Change was appointed as the Welsh administrator on 20 August 2026.
The deposit level
A flat 20p applies to every in-scope container in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and in Wales to PET, aluminium and steel containers from launch — published by Exchange for Change in April 2026. Welsh glass carries a 0p deposit until the transitional period ends in October 2031.
The 20p figure is not set in any statutory instrument — it is the administrator's published figure, and it can move without an amending SI.
How this interacts with packaging EPR
DRS does not replace packaging EPR. The two regimes are carved apart at a specific point: packaging EPR's recyclability assessment is disapplied — subject to a separate cross-reference elsewhere in the same regulations — for drink containers made of any material other than glass, because those containers are migrating to DRS. Glass drink containers stay wholly within packaging EPR's recyclability assessment. Every other packaging EPR obligation — registration, tonnage reporting, disposal fees — continues to apply to a large or small producer regardless of DRS.
Watch the date on official guidance. The GOV.UK producer/retailer guidance page has not been revised since 30 January 2025 and still states a deposit management organisation "will be appointed in April 2025".
The administrator was in fact approved in May 2025. Treat any forward-looking statement on that page as stale, and check the scheme regulations directly for commencement dates.
Where this sits
DRS is a producer-and-retailer obligation created by regulations in each UK nation, not a sustainability disclosure. Where packaging and resource use surface in voluntary reporting frameworks, they typically sit under a heading such as ESRS E5's circular-economy topic rather than under UK SRS, which does not itself require packaging or waste disclosure. For the nature side of the resources-and-waste map, see our biodiversity net gain basics and its exemptions.
This page is independent reference material, not legal or accounting advice.
Every figure above is linked to its primary source below — check the source directly before relying on a scope, date or deposit level.
Frequently asked
When does the UK deposit return scheme start?
1 October 2027, in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales alike.
Government guidance, last updated 12 June 2026, describes this as a firm commitment — there is no reported delay to that date.
The organisations, registration and appeals machinery came into force earlier, the day after each scheme’s regulations were made.
Does the deposit return scheme include glass bottles?
It depends on the nation.
Glass is out of scope entirely in England and Northern Ireland, and Scotland dropped glass from its scheme on 20 June 2025.
Wales is the exception: glass is in scope from day one, though it carries a 0p deposit and is exempt from labelling during a four-year transitional period to 30 September 2031.
What size and material of container is in scope?
Containers made wholly or mainly from aluminium, steel or PET plastic, with a capacity between 150 millilitres and 3 litres.
HDPE containers, liquid medicines and flavour enhancers or sweeteners are all excluded.
How much is the deposit?
A flat 20p on every in-scope container, published by the scheme administrator, Exchange for Change, in April 2026.
It applies in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland now, and in Wales to PET, aluminium and steel containers from launch — Welsh glass stays at 0p until October 2031.
The 20p figure sits in no statutory instrument, so it can change without a new SI.
Does the deposit return scheme replace packaging EPR for drinks containers?
No — it narrows one part of it.
Packaging EPR’s recyclability assessment is switched off for drink containers other than glass, because those containers are migrating to DRS instead.
Glass drink containers stay fully within packaging EPR, and every other packaging EPR obligation continues to apply regardless of DRS.
Sources
- The Deposit Scheme for Drinks Containers (England and Northern Ireland) Regulations 2025 — legislation.gov.uk, SI 2025/67, regulation 1
- SSI 2025/188 — the Scottish scheme amendment (glass removed, launch date aligned) — legislation.gov.uk
- WSI 2026/103 — the Welsh deposit return scheme regulations — legislation.gov.uk