A Leap Forward in Circularity: Why GB needs a Deposit Return Scheme
If you’ve recently visited a grocery store in countries like Ireland, Norway, or Germany, you might have noticed a strange little machine crunching away bottles and cans and spitting out little tickets.
What you saw is called a Deposit Return Scheme, or DRS for short.
And if you’ve never seen a DRS, fear not! From 2027, they’re due to start popping up in the UK.
You might be wondering how a DRS works?
In countries with a DRS, every time you buy a drink in a plastic bottle or aluminium can, you pay a small deposit on that container – for example, in Ireland, the deposit for a small bottle is 15c. After you’ve enjoyed your drink, you bring back the empty to any participating store, and pop it into a reverse vending machine (aka, the strange little machine crunching away). So long as it’s in good nick, you’ll get your deposit back.
Now, you might ask: “Why are you getting so excited about this?”
A DRS is a huge step towards ensuring that empty drinks containers get recycled, meaning we drive up collection rates, and prevent litter. And, with a track record of success* for similar bottle and can return schemes in other countries, we're confident this move will significantly up our recycling game.
For Coca‑Cola, it's one of the ways we want to help create a world where we don't just throw bottles and cans away, a World Without Waste.
That’s why we strongly welcomed the government’s announcement in April 2024 that the UK would get its very own DRS from 2027.
So, watch this space, as we roll up our sleeves, and play our part in building a best-in-class DRS across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
