The scheme will cover England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is set to be introduced in 2025. Scotland already brought in legislation in 2020 for its own deposit returns scheme, which will see consumers paying a 20p deposit for every bottle or can from August this year.
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs said the new legislation follows “extensive work with industry” to prepare them for the necessary changes including setting up infrastructure and amending labelling.
The introduction of a DRS has been planned since 2018 and was initially due to be launched in 2023, but this was delayed until late 2024 and now 2025.
The scheme would include special machines, known as reverse vending machines, and designated sites where people can return their bottles and receive their cash back. In most cases it would be the retailers who sell drinks covered by the scheme who would host a return point.
Every year UK consumers go through an estimated...