Shaping recycling infrastructure to deliver UK's Deposit Return Scheme

Exchange for Change has appointed five waste management and recycling providers.

From October 2027, the Deposit Return Scheme will see a 20p deposit applied to all single use PET plastic, aluminium and steel drinks containers between 3L and 150ml. Consumers will then get their deposit back when they take back their drinks containers to a return point

The companies will be responsible for collecting the returned bottles and cans from return points, and processing them so that the material can be recycled into new drinks containers.

‘Together the five waste management companies will create a resilient and scaleable collections network that will ensure efficient collection and processing of Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) materials,’ says Exchange for Change CEO Russell Davies, the industry-led organisation delivering the scheme.

A breakdown of the companies and the regions they will cover are:

SUEZ – the North-East, North-West, West-Central and South West

CIRQLR – the East Central, South and South East

Re.Group – Scotland, working in partnership with Hargreaves Services plc

Bywaters – London

Re-Gen – Northern Ireland

Three dedicated DRS processing facilities in Scotland, Scunthorpe and Guildford, two dedicated DRS processing lines in Isle of Dogs and Newry, and one shared-use plastics recycling facility in Avonmouth will be operational from October 2027.

These six centres are expected to create around 700 jobs in the UK.

Phase 1 registration is also now open for producers and retailer return points, requiring basic details such as company details, primary contact information, trading name and relevant business and mailing addresses.

This phasing is designed to help businesses prepare ahead of the scheme launching in October next year.

Under the DRS regulations, retailers in urban areas with a space under 100m² are automatically exempt from operating a return point and do not need to register unless they intend to offer a return point.

Businesses that are required to register as a producer, return point operator, or both, can now create an account and complete Phase 1 registration through the new Exchange For Change registration portal.

Phase 2 registration will open in January 2027, when businesses will be asked to provide further information relevant to their role in the scheme.